Watch rare ‘Mars eclipse’ as Moon blocks light from red planet tonight – how to see it

MARS will disappear in the early hours of Thursday in a special event that only happens once every two years.

Earth will be plonked between the Red Planet and the Sun in a direct straight line.

It’s a process called opposition and it happens every 26 months or so.

Mars will look bigger and brighter than usual as a result.

But what makes it even more special is it coincides with a full moon – and Mars will end up hidden by it.

This is a rare event known as lunar occultation.

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“The elliptical orbit of Mars means some oppositions are better than others, and for the rest of this decade the planet will be further away than it is this month,” said the Royal Astronomical Society.

“It will not be closer to the Earth until 2033, and it will be 2037 before the planet is as well placed in UK skies.”

Best of all, you won’t even need a telescope to see it.

As long as the skies remain clear, you should be able to see it with the naked eye from the UK.

But you’ll have to set your alarm early.

Mars is set to disappear behind the moon at 4:54am.

And it’ll reappear little over an hour later at 5:56am.

You’ll need to get up and looking just before 4:54am to see it as it moves behind the moon.

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If you miss this one, you’ll have to wait until January 2025 when the next one is due to occur.

“This is an excellent opportunity for astrophotographers to capture images of the red disk of Mars next to the lunar surface,” the Royal Astronomical Society added.

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