On January 31, the Moon will pass in front of Mars from the perspective of Earth in an event considered mystical.
The Moon and Mars (the small orange dot) appear next to each other in the sky before a mystical event.
Unfortunately, only a small area on Earth will be able to witness this mystical phenomenon, including the southern United States from Southern California to Northern Florida, reaching as far north as Oklahoma, according to skywatching websites.
Other viewing areas include Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and the northwest of South America. A complete list of viewing times by location for the occultation of Mars and the appearance of the Moon and Mars can be found on Space.com, as reported by veteran sky observer Joe Rao.
For those who cannot directly witness this event, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles is hosting a free live stream of the Moon’s occultation of Mars on the observatory’s website or its YouTube channel. The live stream will last for two hours starting at 11 AM on January 31.
From New York City, the Moon and Mars will be observed just 1/10 degree apart, according to In-the-sky.org. This duo will be visible from 12:10 AM until 3:23 PM on February 1, and they will fit comfortably within a telescope’s field of view. You will also be able to see this phenomenon with binoculars and the naked eye.
At this time, the Moon is in its 10-day phase, with 74% of its surface illuminated from Earth’s perspective. The Moon will be quite bright with an intensity of -12.3, while Mars will be significantly dimmer at an intensity of -0.3.
Both the Moon and Mars will be less bright compared to their last mystical event, which occurred in December 2022 during a full moon.
