On the evening of Jan. 13, there will be a very special kind of eclipse of the planet Mars by the Moon.
This type of eclipse is called an occultation, which occurs when the Moon or other celestial object passes in front of another celestial object, such as a star or a planet.
The word “occultation” is derived from a Latin word meaning to conceal from view, and that describes what will happen to Mars on Jan. 13. When an occultation occurs, from our perspective on Earth the smaller object (e.g. Mars) appears to move behind the larger object (e.g. the Moon), temporarily disappearing from view…