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Credit & Copyright: Imran Sultan
Explanation:
Does the Moon ever engulf Mars?
Yes, but only in the sense that it moves in front, which happens on
rare
occasions.
This happened just yesterday, though, as seen from some locations in
North America and western Africa.
This occultation was notable
not only because the Moon was a fully lit
Wolf Moon, but because Mars was near its largest and brightest, moving to
opposition -- the closest to the Earth in its orbit -- only tomorrow.
The engulfing, more formally called an
occultation, typically lasts about an hour.
The featured image was taken from near
Chicago,
Illinois,
USA just as
Earth's largest satellite
was angularly moving away from the much more distant
red planet.
Our
Moon
occasionally moves in front of all of the
Solar System's planets.
Given the temporary alignment of
orbital planes, the
next time our
Moon eclipses Mars
will be a relatively soon February 9.
Growing Gallery:
Moon-Mars Occultation in January 2025
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - Moon - occultation
Publications with words: Mars - Moon - occultation
See also: