Monday, January 30, 2023

SKY GUY VIEWING ALERT!!!! MOON-MARS MEET UP TONIGHT 1-30-23

 Hey, Space Placers!

Moon passing Mars, Jan. 29-30-31, 2023

Credit: Sky&Telescope.org

If it is clear where you live don't miss the meeting of the Waxing Gibbous Moon and Mars in the sky tonight!

Depending on where you live, you will either see Mars disappear behind the Moon - called an occultation - or you will see the two ver close together.

Here are the details from @skyandtelescope.org:

Moon occults Mars. Tonight the Moon's dark limb will occult (cover) Mars for observers south of a line running from south Georgia across the U.S. through central California. Here's a Google mapof the line, showing the width of the partial-occultation zone along it, courtesy of Derek Breit and David Dunham of the International Occultation Timing Association. Zoom in.

The occultation's southern limit crosses northwestern South America. Skywatchers elsewhere in North and South America will see the Moon perform a near miss of Mars. 

Here are IOTA's timetables. The first two tables are very long; the first gives the time for Mars's disappearance, the second for its reappearance from behind the Moon's bright limb. Scroll to be sure you're using the right table; watch for the new heading as you scroll. The first two letters in each entry are the country abbreviation ("CA" is Canada, not California). The times are given in UT (GMT), which is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, 6 ahead of CST, 7 ahead of MST, and 8 ahead of PST.

For instance: At Los Angeles, Mars disappears at 8:35 p.m. PST tonight when the Moon is 76° above the horizon, then reappears at 9:29 p.m. PST when the Moon is 65° high.

Want more info? Check it out here.

Enjoy!

Sky Guy in VA

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