Mars and The Moon Will Align With Earth On Tuesday

Everyone knows about the ultra-rare eclipse but do you know about an occultation?

It's an eclipse-like event, where Earth, the moon and a planet align. In this case, Mars will vanish behind the moon as they both line up perfectly with Earth, according to WGRZ.

"A lunar occultation involving a planet is a rare event," AccuWeather Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel said. "There are only a few per decade as seen from any given spot on the globe."

That's right -- just a few per decade!

The event will take place on Tuesday morning. We'll have a harder time catching it on the east coast since it will happen after daybreak but those on the west coast will see it during the pre-dawn hours. Cloud cover is also a consideration when viewing an occultation.

If you're able to beat the cloud cover, you don't need a telescope to view the occultation but it would enhance the experience.