On Wednesday the 7th, there was a very rare event called a Lunar Occultation, where the Moon is in a position in front of another solar mass, this time it was Mars behind the Moon. This time was particularly unusual because Mars was at opposition, meaning that Earth was directly between the Sun and Mars, this made the red planet particularly bright in the night sky. This moon is also known as the Cold Moon or Frost Moon because of the cold weather winter brings. This period is also one of the times Mars will get closer to the earth and can be viewed with a really high powered telescope. Parts of North America, Europe, and Northern Africa will be able to see this event and the viewing period will last about an hour.
This event, like I said is a rare one, and will next occur in January of 2025. And the other special thing is that Mars and Earth are rarely this close together, and they will next be this close, or closer depending on the circumstances,
Sources:
- https://www.space.com/mars-eclipse-full-cold-moon-wows-stargazers
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/magical-and-rare-celestial-events-will-take-place-tonight-as-the-moon-eclipses-mars-heres-how-to-watch/