About the Moon today.
On the night of December 8, there will be three astronomical events at once: a full moon, Mars at opposition, and Mars being occulted by the full Moon.
This year's lunar occultation of Mars will be unique, as it coincides exactly with the moment of opposition of the Red Planet.
Astronomers call the approach of Earth and Mars an opposition. It occurs once every 780 days.
At opposition, three celestial bodies—the Sun, Earth, and Mars—are positioned exactly in a straight line.
Earth is in the middle, while Mars is opposite the Sun.