Before dawn tomorrow – December 6, 2015 – the wonderful views of the planets before dawn continue. On December 6, the moon appears quite close to the red planet Mars and above the dazzling planet Venus. From parts of the world, the moon appears to cover over Mars. More about the occultation of Mars below.
And, of course, Venus and Mars aren’t the only planets up before dawn. Jupiter is there, too, as shown on the chart below. The moon is moving toward the sunrise now, and it’s sweeping past the planets in the morning sky. There are spectacular views of the planets and moon as seen from around the world.
For us in North America, Monday morning – December 7 – will be a very special time to watch. On Monday, the whole world will see brilliant Venus near the moon, but we in North America will see the moon pass in front of Venus – hiding it from view – in what astronomers call an occultation. Read more about the December 7 occultation of Venus here.
And we in North America aren’t the only ones to see an occultation of a planet by the moon in the coming days. Keep reading …
Moon and planets in the morning sky in December, 2015. For illustrative purposes the moon appears larger than it does in the actual sky. The green line depicts the ecliptic – the sun’s apparent annual pathway in front of the backdrop stars.
Occultation of Mars on December 6. As viewed from central and eastern Africa in the predawn sky on Sunday, December 6, the moon will occult – or cover over – the planet Mars. Here are the local occultation times for various places in Africa.
Local times for lunar occultation of Mars on December 6, 2015
Kilgali, Rwanda
Occultation begins: 2:32 a.m. Central Africa Time (CAT)
Occultation ends: 3:18 a.m. CATDodoma, Tanzania
Occultation begins: 3:49 a.m. East Africa Time (EAT)
Occultation ends: 4:18 a.m. EATNairobi, Kenya
Occultation begins: 3:30 a.m. EAT
Occultation ends: 4:29 a.m. EATAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
Occultation begins: 3:15a.m. EAT
Occultation ends: 4:31 a.m. EAT
Click here for more information on this lunar occultation of Mars.
View larger. | Everyplace in between the solid white lines is in a position to witness the lunar occultation of Mars in a dark, predawn sky on Sunday, December 6, 2015. Image via International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA)
Bottom line: No matter where you live worldwide, the moon appears quite close to the red planet Mars, and above the dazzling planet Venus, during the predawn hours on December 6, 2015. As seen from Africa on this date, the moon occults – or covers over – Mars.
Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops for September-December, 2015
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Before dawn tomorrow – December 6, 2015 – the wonderful views of the planets before dawn continue. On December 6, the moon appears quite close to the red planet Mars and above the dazzling planet Venus. From parts of the world, the moon appears to cover over Mars. More about the occultation of Mars below.
And, of course, Venus and Mars aren’t the only planets up before dawn. Jupiter is there, too, as shown on the chart below. The moon is moving toward the sunrise now, and it’s sweeping past the planets in the morning sky. There are spectacular views of the planets and moon as seen from around the world.
For us in North America, Monday morning – December 7 – will be a very special time to watch. On Monday, the whole world will see brilliant Venus near the moon, but we in North America will see the moon pass in front of Venus – hiding it from view – in what astronomers call an occultation. Read more about the December 7 occultation of Venus here.
And we in North America aren’t the only ones to see an occultation of a planet by the moon in the coming days. Keep reading …
Moon and planets in the morning sky in December, 2015. For illustrative purposes the moon appears larger than it does in the actual sky. The green line depicts the ecliptic – the sun’s apparent annual pathway in front of the backdrop stars.
Occultation of Mars on December 6. As viewed from central and eastern Africa in the predawn sky on Sunday, December 6, the moon will occult – or cover over – the planet Mars. Here are the local occultation times for various places in Africa.
Local times for lunar occultation of Mars on December 6, 2015
Kilgali, Rwanda
Occultation begins: 2:32 a.m. Central Africa Time (CAT)
Occultation ends: 3:18 a.m. CATDodoma, Tanzania
Occultation begins: 3:49 a.m. East Africa Time (EAT)
Occultation ends: 4:18 a.m. EATNairobi, Kenya
Occultation begins: 3:30 a.m. EAT
Occultation ends: 4:29 a.m. EATAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
Occultation begins: 3:15a.m. EAT
Occultation ends: 4:31 a.m. EAT
Click here for more information on this lunar occultation of Mars.
View larger. | Everyplace in between the solid white lines is in a position to witness the lunar occultation of Mars in a dark, predawn sky on Sunday, December 6, 2015. Image via International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA)
Bottom line: No matter where you live worldwide, the moon appears quite close to the red planet Mars, and above the dazzling planet Venus, during the predawn hours on December 6, 2015. As seen from Africa on this date, the moon occults – or covers over – Mars.
Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops for September-December, 2015
Almost gone! EarthSky lunar calendars make great gifts. Order now.
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
Donate: Your support means the world to us
Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1Nnnclu
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