The Red Planet Will ‘Appear to Disappear’ Tonight in Rare Alignment of Moon, Mars, and Earth

The Red Planet Will ‘Appear to Disappear’ Tonight in Rare Alignment of Moon, Mars, and Earth
Composite image from Shutterstock
2/18/2020
Updated:
2/18/2020

The Moon, Mars, and Earth are due to align before dawn on Feb. 18, 2020. This rare occurrence will create the illusion that Mars has vanished from the early morning sky as the waning Moon obstructs our view of the solar system’s “red planet” for 90 minutes.

AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada is calling the event an “eclipse-like” scenario. Known among astronomers as a lunar occultation, the Feb. 18 event will entail the Moon passing in front of, and entirely obscuring, the red planet Mars.

Stargazers will not need binoculars; both the Moon and Mars are bright enough to be viewed without. However, all the United States—excepting Alaska and Hawaii, for whom the occultation will not be visible–will need to hope for clear skies if this pre-dawn spectacle is to be optimally enjoyed.

Viewers residing in the western United States will be best placed to witness the rare occultation. From this location, the red planet will reemerge from behind the Moon before sunrise, allowing for maximum visibility before the Sun’s rays obscure the details.

Illustration - Shutterstock | <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-rendering-alignment-earth-moon-mars-1015605529">Jose L. Stephens</a>
Illustration - Shutterstock | Jose L. Stephens

People living in the Great Plains or Rocky Mountains regions will also be able to view Mars’s reemergence before the Sun comes up. While viewers in the eastern United States will also be privy to the spectacle, they will have to contend with sunrise.

The lunar occultation of Mars is anticipated to begin at 3:38 a.m. in Los Angeles, and at 7:29 a.m. in New York City, as per AccuWeather. Those living near but outside the periphery of the United States may still be able to witness a “grazing occultation,” whereby Mars, rather than disappearing completely, will pass along the visible edge of the Moon.
Viewers elsewhere in the world, while unable to witness the complete alignment of the Moon, Mars, and Earth, will nonetheless be able to see Mars’s unusually close visual proximity to the Moon. As per EarthSky, on Feb. 18, Mars will be approximately 1.81 astronomical units (AU) away from Earth, equating to almost twice the distance between Earth and the Sun.
Stars occulted by the Moon tend to disappear and reappear from sight instantly at the beginning and end of each event. However, since Mars is considerably closer to Earth, EarthSky advises, the red planet will instead seem to disappear and reappear gradually.
Aerospace sciences expert Elizabeth Howell, writing for Space.com, informed readers that occultations can take place anywhere in the universe. The Apollo 12 astronauts, Howell explained, traveled through Earth’s shadow and in doing so witnessed a solar eclipse on their return journey from the Moon in 1969.
“A lunar occultation involving a planet is a rare event,” said astronomy blogger Dave Samuhel, as per AccuWeather. “There are only a few per decade as seen from any given spot on the globe.” The last lunar occultation of Mars seen from the United States occurred on May 9, 2013.
Illustration - Shutterstock | <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/people-stand-dark-night-see-into-1362714632">Mr.PaO</a>
Illustration - Shutterstock | Mr.PaO
As per the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, astronomers are expecting a grand total of five lunar occultations of Mars in 2020, but only the Feb. 18 event will be visible from North America.
The temporary disappearance of Mars is not the only stargazing spectacle that February has to offer. As per Forbes, the lunar occultation is just one of a number of rare events occurring within a few days of one another.
In the morning of Feb. 17, SpaceX launched its fifth batch of Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was streamed live on YouTube.

On Feb. 19, approximately an hour before sunrise, those living in North America will be able to catch a glimpse of a 16 percent-lit crescent Moon between Mars and Jupiter. Saturn will also be briefly visible, rising before dawn.

The following day, as per Forbes, a 9 percent-lit crescent Moon will be visible much closer to Saturn. On Feb. 23, the Moon will become briefly invisible as it passes between Earth and the Sun on its monthly voyage, making for dark skies and optimal stargazing.