View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Salil Kawli in Mumbai, India, captured this photo of a lunar occultation of Mars on April 17, 2021. He wrote: “Rare lunar occultation of Mars, seen from Mumbai.” Thank you, Salil!
Lucky residents of southeast Asia got a chance to watch the moon pass in front of the red planet Mars on April 17, 2021. Astronomers call this event an occultation. The occultation of Mars was captured by EarthSky friends and photographers in India. Mars slipped under the unlit limb of the moon, disappearing behind Earth’s satellite for approximately 30 minutes, before reappearing from under the lit crescent portion of the moon.
The moon occults Mars every so often, but not many of these events are easy to see. You have to be at the right spot on the globe for the two objects to align just right from your point of view, much like an eclipse of the sun. In addition, it needs to be nighttime so that you can see the small dot of Mars as it disappears behind the moon, and Mars and the moon must both be above the horizon. Therefore, the recent lunar occultation of Mars was a lucky sight indeed.
The next occultation of Mars will occur on December 31, 2021, and be visible to a small swath of residents in Australia.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sona Shahani in New Delhi, India, captured this photo of the occultation on April 17, 2021. Sona wrote: “Moon and Mars occultation: A rare event visible across India … I set up on my rooftop (under lockdown, there’s nowhere to travel to). Was lucky enough to capture the reappearance of Mars! What a sight it was, unforgettable and so thrilling, hope you enjoy the image! Clear skies!” Thank you, Sona!
Bottom line: Some lucky sky watchers saw the moon pass in front of Mars on Saturday, and photographers shared their images with EarthSky readers!
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Q8rRlU
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Salil Kawli in Mumbai, India, captured this photo of a lunar occultation of Mars on April 17, 2021. He wrote: “Rare lunar occultation of Mars, seen from Mumbai.” Thank you, Salil!
Lucky residents of southeast Asia got a chance to watch the moon pass in front of the red planet Mars on April 17, 2021. Astronomers call this event an occultation. The occultation of Mars was captured by EarthSky friends and photographers in India. Mars slipped under the unlit limb of the moon, disappearing behind Earth’s satellite for approximately 30 minutes, before reappearing from under the lit crescent portion of the moon.
The moon occults Mars every so often, but not many of these events are easy to see. You have to be at the right spot on the globe for the two objects to align just right from your point of view, much like an eclipse of the sun. In addition, it needs to be nighttime so that you can see the small dot of Mars as it disappears behind the moon, and Mars and the moon must both be above the horizon. Therefore, the recent lunar occultation of Mars was a lucky sight indeed.
The next occultation of Mars will occur on December 31, 2021, and be visible to a small swath of residents in Australia.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sona Shahani in New Delhi, India, captured this photo of the occultation on April 17, 2021. Sona wrote: “Moon and Mars occultation: A rare event visible across India … I set up on my rooftop (under lockdown, there’s nowhere to travel to). Was lucky enough to capture the reappearance of Mars! What a sight it was, unforgettable and so thrilling, hope you enjoy the image! Clear skies!” Thank you, Sona!
Bottom line: Some lucky sky watchers saw the moon pass in front of Mars on Saturday, and photographers shared their images with EarthSky readers!
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Q8rRlU
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