By Shannon Lukens.

 

Mars is disappearing tonight. The Cold Moon will cover the bright planet Mars for about an hour. It’s an occultation that will be seen over most of North America.

Gary Boyle is The Backyard Astronomer. He says having the moon cover a bright planet is considered a very rare event.

“Take advantage of pollution free skies in Northwest Colorado to see even the western Milky Way near Orion and really it’s just a wonderful peaceful setting that helps reduce stress and anxiety levels. The night sky has been entertainment for thousands of years.”

Boyle says to “enjoy the free show” up in the sky tonight.

 

This image of the Moon and Mars is created from stellarium.org, an open-source computer program anyone can download for free.