Mars, the red planet. (24K-Production / iStock)

When it comes to skywatching, 2024 — what with its total solar eclipse and unexpected northern lights displays — is going to be a hard act to follow. But 2025 is off to a promising start.

On Monday, if the skies are clear, Chicagoans will witness an “eclipse” of Mars by the moon. Shortly after 8 p.m., the moon — the year’s first full moon, to boot — will pass in front of the red planet and cause it to momentarily “blink out of existence,” Joe Guzman, the Chicago Astronomer, told WTTW News.

Technically, the term for the event is “occultation,” a word astronomers use when an apparently big object moves in front of an apparently small object, according to NASA. The last occultation of Mars happened in December 2022.

No special equipment is needed to catch the show, and the fact that it involves a full moon should make the occultation a cinch to locate in the sky. As an added bonus, the twin stars Castor and Pollux will line up with Mars and the moon on Monday night.

In addition to Mars, three other planets are visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Barring cloud cover, Venus is impossible to miss — it’s blazing bright and large at the moment. Look for it to the west, setting toward the horizon. Saturn can be found hanging out near Venus, and Jupiter rises to the south, with wattage nearly rivaling Venus.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]