Occultation of Mars: Early morning telescope viewing

Occultation of Mars: Early morning telescope viewing

Thursday 8th December 2022 from 04:00am to 05:30am

Tomintoul Primary School
37 Cults Drive, Tomintoul, Banffshire, AB37 9HW

On 8 December 2022, Mars will reach opposition. It will be a splendid telescopic target, well-placed for observation in the Northern Hemisphere and well worth observing as the nights get colder and the dark winter months approach.

On the same night as the opposition, in the early hours, the Moon will appear to pass in front of Mars in an event known as a lunar occultation.

Please note that this has already taken place on 08/12/2022


Event organiser

Tomintoul and Glenlivet Dark Sky Park

Tomintoul and Glenlivet Dark Sky Park is organising this event

Please contact Tomintoul and Glenlivet Dark Sky Park directly for more details regarding this event or, if appropriate, contact the event venue.


Event booking

Please reserve your free spot on this event via the Eventbrite website.

Visit event website

Event darkness

The Moon has a big impact on the visibility of celestial bodies in the night sky. Try to plan your stargazing when there is no bright Moon at night as this is when the skies will be at their darkest.

The below chart shows if and when the skies will be at their darkest during this event. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing.



Stay and gaze nearby

Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.

  • Hideaway Under the Stars

    Dunbalen, Aberlour, Banffshire, AB38 9NL (14.2 miles away)

    Stay & Gaze

    More info
  • Howe of Torbeg

    Glen Gairn, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5XL (15.1 miles away)

    Stay & Gaze

    More info
  • Lickleyhead Castle

    Premnay, Insch, Aberdeenshire, AB52 6PN, Scotland (28.6 miles away)

    Stay & Gaze

    More info