Here comes a celestial game of hide and seek, or in fancier terms, an occultation. Space fans across much of the US can witness the event as it happens in the night sky. On Monday, Mars will look reddish and bright as the moon passes in front of it, obscuring the planet for over an hour in some areas. Â
"An occultation is when one celestial object passes directly in front of another, hiding the background object from view," NASA says in a skywatching guide.
A brilliant full moon photographed from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2017.
How to see the 2025 wolf moon
The timing of Mars' disappearing act will vary depending on your location. It'll be visible from the contiguous US. The Astronomical League published a map with viewing times for major cities across the country. Set a reminder to catch both the disappearance and reappearance of the only planet in the solar system where we have rovers exploring the surface.Â
A NASA view of Mars shows the planet's bright ice cap.
The Astronomical League suggests using binoculars for the event and starting your viewing 10 minutes ahead of time so you can spot Mars before the moon covers it up. You may have to hunt around to find the planet when it returns to the sky.Â
"Mars' time and position of reappearance is difficult to judge since the planet lies concealed behind the moon beforehand," the league said.
Why is it called the Wolf Moon?
The moon will be full during the Mars occultation. January's full moon is popularly known as the Wolf Moon, so you can imagine the Wolf Moon gobbling up Mars and then spitting it out again.Â
You've heard that wolves howl at the moon. The January full moon is called the Wolf Moon because it happens at the time of year when wolves can be heard howling as they hunt for food. (A wolf expert told NPR that.)
January is full of good skywatching events, including a parade of planets and the fiery show of the annual Quadrantids meteor shower.Â
This is a particularly fun month for viewing Mars. The red planet reaches opposition — when it's opposite from the sun, with Earth in the middle — by the evening of Jan. 16. It's the closest Mars will be to Earth this year, so the planet can appear a little brighter than usual. Look to the east after sundown and to the west near sunrise to find Mars.Â
As the moon does its sleight of hand on Jan. 13, be sure to wave goodbye and then wave hello again to NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity rovers far away on the red planet. They'll be hard at work exploring Mars while you're enjoying the magic show from Earth.