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Mars will be at its closest possible distance from Earth overnight Wednesday through Thursday. The red planet is therefore clearly visible. Extra special is that it is also a full moon. From Earth, you can see that Mars briefly disappears behind the Moon. To observe it from the Netherlands, you need a little luck and binoculars or a telescope.
Mars takes about 687 days to orbit the sun. The earth does this in the known 365 days. Once every one and a half to two years, Mars is very clearly visible from Earth. Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Mars will be directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth and the planet will be at its peak.
The red planet and the moon will be in the same direction as seen from Earth on Thursday morning. As a result, they seem to converge in the sky. Astronomers call this phenomenon a conjunction.
Moreover, it is the full moon on Thursday morning. Because the earth is not between the moon and the sun, it does not cast a shadow on the moon. As Mars is further away, the red planet appears to pass behind the full moon around 6 a.m. About an hour later, the planet will again be visible from Earth.
Only in the northwest of the Netherlands are the weather conditions so favorable that you can see the sky well, says Johnny Willemsen from Weerplaza. “Thursday morning we have lots of clouds and showers, especially inland. You have the best chance of clearing in the northwest.”
So whether you can see Mars and the full moon depends on where you are on Thursday morning. “In North Holland you have a good chance of seeing it. But in the south you can forget about it, there it’s completely covered in clouds.”
Clearly visible with binoculars or a telescope
According to astronomer Rens Waters, those with a good view of the starry sky are advised to use binoculars or a telescope.
“Both the moon and Mars are bright enough to see with the naked eye. But the moon is much closer and is therefore bigger and brighter for us,” says the Radboud University astronomer. “When Mars approaches the Moon, the human eye can soon no longer distinguish them.”
With a tool it is easy to see how Mars passes behind the Moon. “The moon has no atmosphere. As a result, you can see very clearly and sharply where and how Mars is slipping behind the rim of the moon.”
According to Waters, the phenomenon has no consequences for us on earth. “It’s a pure coincidence, Mars and the Moon follow their orbits perfectly and do not collide. It has no consequences for the Earth, except that it looks spectacular from here.”
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