On the evening of April 17 this week, the moon will hide the planet Mars behind it, in a manner similar to when the moon hides the sun during a solar eclipse. This event, called an ‘occultation’ in astronomical parlance, will take place around 5.30 pm. The red planet will reappear from behind the moon in around an hour and a half.

The event will be visible from only specific regions of the Earth and the time of the event will differ from place to place. The phenomenon itself is not a rare one, but for a given location, it is not very common either. The last occultation of Mars by the moon was visible in India on the evening of May 10, 2008.