Lunar Occultation of Mars
By
Dave Samuhel, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 14, 2020 5:33 PM EDT
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, one of the top astronomical events of the year occurs. The moon will appear to pass in front of Mars! This event will be visible across a wide portion of the globe. However, only a small area will see it occur while skies are dark.
A lunar occultation of a planet is a rare event. There are only a few per decade as seen from any given spot on the globe. There have been some incredible occultations in the past. Check this view of a lunar occultation of Saturn!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lunar occultation of Saturn, captured by Jan Koet on May 22, 2007 <a href="https://t.co/OITNNmiXJR">https://t.co/OITNNmiXJR</a> <a href="https://t.co/ewoQWYOVXU">pic.twitter.com/ewoQWYOVXU</a></p>— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1044542275957780480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Just last summer, the moon occulted Saturn, but it was only visible across Australia. There was some more awesome imagery of the occurrence!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last night's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lunar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lunar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/occultation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#occultation</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saturn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saturn</a> - this was the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/immersion?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#immersion</a> as the cosmic clockwork put the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Moon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Moon</a> in front of Saturn. The dark terrain of the Moon's horizon is silhouetted by Saturn as it 'sets'. C9.25EdgeHD+2.5xTelevue Powermate+600D - video at 50fps 18:32EST (08:32UT) <a href="https://t.co/efmGwezE95">pic.twitter.com/efmGwezE95</a></p>— Edwin Quail (@EdwinQuail) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdwinQuail/status/1161155951535112192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Even if you are in an area where the occultation will occur after sunrise, you can still witness the event. The easiest way to follow along will be through the use of binoculars or a telescope. You need to be very careful looking at the sky during the daylight hours with either binoculars or telescope. If you look at the sun, it can cause permanent eye damage.
Here is another awesome view!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last night's lunar occultation of Saturn from Brisbane. Just enough clear-as-a-bell sky during ingress :D <a href="http://t.co/36iTeRxzRo">pic.twitter.com/36iTeRxzRo</a></p>— Duncan Waldron (@ozalba) <a href="https://twitter.com/ozalba/status/466926871188230144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The lunar occultation of Mars will last about an hour and a half. On the East Coast, the event begins after sunrise, around 7:30 a.m., and it will end around 9 a.m. Across the rest of the country, it will start before sunrise. In the central time zone, it will begin around 6:00 a.m. and end around 7:30 a.m. It will start before sunrise, ending just after sunrise. The mountain time zone may be the best location to see the event. The entirety of the occultation will occur before sunrise. For example, in Denver, it will begin before 5 a.m. and last until around 6 a.m. (The sunrise is just before 7 a.m.) On the West Coast, the event will begin before the moon rises, but you will be able to see the ending around 5 a.m. local time.
Of course, you will need clear skies to see this event! Let’s take a look at the sky cover. It’s winter across the United States, so there will likely be issues.
Computer model depiction of cloud cover during the time of the occultation.
A large storm system will be moving across the eastern half of the country, producing widespread clouds. The best viewing will be in the northern Plains and Western states, where most of the event occurs while it’s dark.
The forecast can change, and we will post an update over the weekend. Thanks for reading! Just look up; you never know what you will see.
Report a Typo
Weather Blogs / Astronomy
Lunar Occultation of Mars
By Dave Samuhel, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 14, 2020 5:33 PM EDT
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, one of the top astronomical events of the year occurs. The moon will appear to pass in front of Mars! This event will be visible across a wide portion of the globe. However, only a small area will see it occur while skies are dark.
A lunar occultation of a planet is a rare event. There are only a few per decade as seen from any given spot on the globe. There have been some incredible occultations in the past. Check this view of a lunar occultation of Saturn!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lunar occultation of Saturn, captured by Jan Koet on May 22, 2007 <a href="https://t.co/OITNNmiXJR">https://t.co/OITNNmiXJR</a> <a href="https://t.co/ewoQWYOVXU">pic.twitter.com/ewoQWYOVXU</a></p>— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1044542275957780480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Just last summer, the moon occulted Saturn, but it was only visible across Australia. There was some more awesome imagery of the occurrence!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last night's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lunar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lunar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/occultation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#occultation</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saturn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saturn</a> - this was the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/immersion?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#immersion</a> as the cosmic clockwork put the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Moon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Moon</a> in front of Saturn. The dark terrain of the Moon's horizon is silhouetted by Saturn as it 'sets'. C9.25EdgeHD+2.5xTelevue Powermate+600D - video at 50fps 18:32EST (08:32UT) <a href="https://t.co/efmGwezE95">pic.twitter.com/efmGwezE95</a></p>— Edwin Quail (@EdwinQuail) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdwinQuail/status/1161155951535112192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Even if you are in an area where the occultation will occur after sunrise, you can still witness the event. The easiest way to follow along will be through the use of binoculars or a telescope. You need to be very careful looking at the sky during the daylight hours with either binoculars or telescope. If you look at the sun, it can cause permanent eye damage.
Here is another awesome view!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last night's lunar occultation of Saturn from Brisbane. Just enough clear-as-a-bell sky during ingress :D <a href="http://t.co/36iTeRxzRo">pic.twitter.com/36iTeRxzRo</a></p>— Duncan Waldron (@ozalba) <a href="https://twitter.com/ozalba/status/466926871188230144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The lunar occultation of Mars will last about an hour and a half. On the East Coast, the event begins after sunrise, around 7:30 a.m., and it will end around 9 a.m. Across the rest of the country, it will start before sunrise. In the central time zone, it will begin around 6:00 a.m. and end around 7:30 a.m. It will start before sunrise, ending just after sunrise. The mountain time zone may be the best location to see the event. The entirety of the occultation will occur before sunrise. For example, in Denver, it will begin before 5 a.m. and last until around 6 a.m. (The sunrise is just before 7 a.m.) On the West Coast, the event will begin before the moon rises, but you will be able to see the ending around 5 a.m. local time.
Of course, you will need clear skies to see this event! Let’s take a look at the sky cover. It’s winter across the United States, so there will likely be issues.
Computer model depiction of cloud cover during the time of the occultation.
A large storm system will be moving across the eastern half of the country, producing widespread clouds. The best viewing will be in the northern Plains and Western states, where most of the event occurs while it’s dark.
The forecast can change, and we will post an update over the weekend. Thanks for reading! Just look up; you never know what you will see.
Report a Typo