Monday, January 13, 2025
The unusual weekday scheduling is correct. On this Monday night, the Moon will occult Mars. This delightful and unusual event could be seen from anywhere. If you must stay home on a weeknight, see it with your naked eyes or with whatever optics are at hand. Ordinary binoculars used for birding or sporting events would improve the view of Mars’s slipping behind the Moon, even through closed windows from inside of one’s house. A backyard telescope would be even better. For those who can get to Brower Observatory, the plan is to use some of its many high-powered planetary telescopes to see the occultation in greatly magnified detail. If conditions are right, we could see features on the surface of Mars, while watching Mars slip behind craggy mountains on the Moon!
Because both the disappearance of Mars behind the Moon and its reappearance are so brief, at about thirty-five seconds each, it will not be possible to share telescopes to see them. To help us set up enough telescopes, if you wish to join us at Brower Observatory and request to use one of Brower’s telescopes, please let us know.
