Wolf Moon Engulfs Mars

Explanation: Does the Moon ever engulf Mars? Yes, but only in the sense that it moves in front, which happens on rare occasions . This happened just yesterday, though, as seen from some locations in North America and western Africa . This occultation was notable not only because the Moon was a fully lit Wolf Moon , but because Mars was near its largest and brightest, moving to opposition -- the closest to the Earth in its orbit -- only tomorrow. The engulfing , more formally called an occultation , typically lasts about an hour. The featured image was taken from near Chicago , Illinois , USA just as Earth's largest satellite was angularly moving away from the much more distant red planet . Our Moon occasionally moves in front of all of the Solar System 's planets. Given the temporary alignment of orbital planes , the next time our Moon eclipses Mars will be a relatively soon February 9.

Growing Gallery: Moon-Mars Occultation in January 2025