A special natural phenomenon is taking place in the skies above New Zealand tonight — but you'll have to be quick to catch a glimpse.
A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of a distant star or planet and temporarily hides it from view.
It's a similar cosmic event to a lunar conjunction, when the Moon appeared very close to a planet, star, or the Sun in the night sky from Earth's perspective.
"Conjunctions are fairly common, but an occultation is when one object will directly pass in front of another, so it'll actually block out light from a star or a planet," Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki told 1News.
He explained that tonight the Moon would pass in front of the bright star Rehua/Antares, just after it rises in the east around 11.15pm.
Lunar occultations such as this were described as "special", as they allowed a glimpse of the Moon's motion against the backdrop of stars in real time.
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"I wouldn't say that lunar occultations are rare, but the rarity about it is really that the whole thing happens in about an hour, and it's really only visible for a few thousand kilometres across the Earth.
"For example, by the time the moon rises in Australia, it'll already have been over," he said.
Aoraki said the occultation could be seen from "kind of everywhere", as long as there was a "clear, unobstructed view of the eastern horizon".
"It really just depends on the weather. Because for most of the country the moon rising varies slightly. But in general, it's when the moon rises tonight - about 11.20pm - is when it starts."
He said the full lunar occultation would only be visible for about 55 minutes.
The skies have been a feast for the eyes lately. The recent blood moon and lunar eclipse gave amateur astronomers plenty to gaze at across the galaxy.
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