Children play to the backdrop of the full moon, known as the Cold Moon as it rises, on December 07, … [+]
That a full “Cold Moon” could “occult” a planet isn’t particularly rare, but the coincidences piled-up this week to make this event rather special—and a spellbinding view for sky-watchers.
You see, Mars wasn’t just a dot in the sky that disappeared for a few minutes. Mars is this week at its biggest, brightest and best. The red planet is an “opposition,” something that happens only every 26 months and see our faster-moving planet precisely between it and the Sun.
Full Cold Moon rises behind the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, California, United States on … [+]
So on the night of Wednesday, December 7, 2022 a full Moon—having recently risen in the east in a blaze of orange—blotted-out a super-bright Mars for up to an hour it was the undoubted astronomical event of the year.
Sky-watchers saw the bright red planet disappear behind the limb of the full Moon—something that took about a minute—before reappearing on the opposite side an hour or so later. Most of North America, northern Mexico, Europe and northern Africa saw the event. A prime-time evening event on December 7 for North America, Europe and Africa saw it as a pre-dawn event on December 8.
It all happened while Mars was in the in the constellation of Taurus, “the bull” with the red planet shining at a magnitude of -1.9. Astrophotographers capturing the event included Tom Williams, John Krauss and Andrew McCarthy.
If Mars being occulted at almost the exact moment it biggest, brightest and best since 2022 and until 2025 wasn’t enough there were plenty of other coincidences that added to the event’s appeal.
The full “Cold Moon” rising as seen from Stubai Glacier, Austria.
It was exactly 50 years since the night-launch of the Apollo 17 mission, the final crewed mission to land humans on the Moon. On December 7, 1972 astronauts Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans (as well as five live mice) left Kennedy Space Center atop a Saturn V rocket, with Cernan and Schmitt spent three days on the lunar surface at Taurus–Littrow.
On December 13 Cernan stepped back inside the lunar module with the words “As we leave the Moon at Taurus–Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17.”
The last full moon of the year known as the cold moon rises above the ancient Parthenon temple … [+]
That notable anniversary was given an a layer of meaning because as the Moon was being observed occulting Mars—a target for a crewed mission by NASA perhaps in the 2030s or 2040s—a human-rated NASA spacecraft had just passed within just 21 miles of the lunar surface.
Designed for crewed trips to the Moon and Mars, Orion has, since later November, held the record for the farthest human-rated spacecraft to travel from Earth. Its Artemis I mission has been uncrewed, but its next mission—Artemis II —will take astronauts beyond the Moon, probably in 2025.
The last full moon of the year known as the Cold Moon rises behind Galata tower in Istanbul, Turkey, … [+]
Orion will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, but before that happens, it’s worth taking some time to look at Mars as the Moon drifts away.
With Mars at opposition it’s at its biggest, brightest and best as it rises in the east after dark, so it’s the perfect time to put a small telescope on the red planet to glimpse its redness and, if you’re lucky, its polar ice caps.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
