SAN ANGELO, TX - The first full moon of 2025, known as the Wolf Moon, will light up the night sky on Monday, January 13, accompanied by a rare celestial event—an occultation of Mars.
For about an hour, Mars will disappear behind the full moon in an alignment visible to the naked eye.
The Wolf Moon, named by Native Americans for the howling of wolves on cold January nights, will appear full from January 12 through January 14. The full moon is technically “full” only for an instant, but it appears full for about three days due to Earth’s perspective.
The Mars occultation is expected to begin at approximately 7:50 p.m. in West Texas and at 8:00 p.m. in East Texas, lasting about an hour. During the event, Mars will seem to pass behind the bottom of the moon before reappearing at the top. The red planet will be distinctly visible next to the moon.
In addition to the Wolf Moon and Mars, the January night sky offers a “planet parade,” with Jupiter visible overhead and Venus and Saturn appearing close together in the western sky. On January 17 and 18, Venus and Saturn will be just two degrees apart—close enough to see with the naked eye.
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