Mars and the Moon: December 7, 2022 by Joe Rao

During the overnight hours of December 7-8, the moon will turn full and Mars will come to opposition, both within less than 90 minutes of each other . . . an unusual circumstance that will result in the moon either passing directly in front of Mars (called an occultation) or graze tantalizing close to the red planet -- but not hide it. Joe Rao will outline the viewing zone across New England. This talk is based on a short article that will appear in the December issue of Sky & Telescope.
For 21 years, Joe Rao was the Chief Meteorologist and Science Editor at News 12 Westchester. He was nominated for 8 Emmy Awards and in 2015 was voted First among weathercasters in New York State by the Associated Press. Since 1986 he has served as an associate and guest lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium. In 2009, the prestigious Walter Scott Houston Award was bestowed upon him by the Northeast Region of the Astronomical League. He is a Contributing Editor for Sky & Telescope magazine and writes a syndicated weekly column for the online news service, Space.com. Joe also pens a monthly astronomy column for Natural History magazine and provides annual astronomical data for The Farmers' Almanac.