Our charts are largely set for the northern half of Earth. So as to see a exact view out of your location, strive Stellarium Online.
See the moon close to Mars
The moon shall be passing by Mars on the nights of January 30 and 31, 2023. Mars has a roughly two-year cycle of visibility in our sky. And, for a lot of that cycle, it’s faint and inconspicuous. However – for a interval of about six months, each couple of years – Mars brightens and seems fairly pink. It occurs across the time Earth is passing between Mars and the sun. And that’s what occurred in December 2022.
We handed between the sun and Mars on December 8, 2022, when Mars reached opposition. So, we’re racing away from Mars now, in our smaller, sooner orbit. As a matter of truth, proper now Mars seems as large and vibrant as it can for the remainder of the 12 months. That’s as a result of Mars has light from its latest opposition at magnitude -1.9 to its present magnitude 0. Whereas that’s nonetheless brighter than most stars, Mars will proceed to fade the remainder of 2023.
The celebs close to the moon and Mars
The reddish star close to Mars is Aldebaran, the Eye of Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran can information you to a V-shaped star cluster often called the Hyades. Additionally, the fragile star cluster of the Pleiades shimmers close by with Orion the Hunter decrease within the sky.
Plus, a lunar occultation of Mars
Components of the globe shall be handled to a lunar occultation of Mars at 4 UTC on January 31, 2023 (10 p.m. CST on January 30). It’s seen in southern North America amongst different locations. Test In-The-Sky to see if the occultation is visible the place you reside.
See pictures here of the lunar occultation of Mars on December 7, 2022
Backside line: Look ahead to the moon close to Mars from nightfall till after 3 a.m. native time on the nights of January 30 and 31, 2023.
