... Mars at the Moon s Edge . ... What was that bright "star" near the Moon last week? Mars of course, as the Red Planet wandered near the wanning gibbous Moon early last Thursday morning, passing behind the lunar orb when viewed from some locations in South and Central America, the Carribean, and Florida. ... When earthdweller Patrick Vantuyne wondered what his home planet's single large moon would look like if viewed from Mars on July 17, he availed himself of the JPL Solar System Simulator. ...