SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Last week, a full moon lit up the sky but it was another celestial moment, one that's more rare, that wowed sky-gazers and space photographers alike. On Jan. 13, the night of the full Wolf Moon, an infrequent event occurred known as a lunar occultation of Mars. This happens when the moon passes directly in front of Mars, temporarily hiding the planet from view. In other words, the moon's disk completely obscured the Red Planet from the line of sight for all earthlings. As explained by In-The-Sky.org, this phenomenon can be brief, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the size and trajectory of the moon’s path across the sky. Lunar occultations are often used by astronomers to measure the moon's position and to study the characteristics of the occulted stars or planets. New tiki bar opens in Oceanside — it gives moody, retro vibes North County photographer Vladimir Medvinsky captured the fleeting moment on camera after noticing on his astronomy app, Sky Guide, that the lunar occultation of Mars was expected. He snapped the event using The Photographer’s Ephemeris, which is a map-based sun, moon and Milky Way calculator that helps plan precise shoots of space. "With moonrise timed near sunset, it was perfect for photography: not too bright to wash out the moon, nor too dark to lose detail against the sky," Medvinsky told FOX 5/KUSI. While posted up in his neighbor's backyard overlooking the San Luis Rey River Trail in Oceanside, he explained that he wanted to capture the event up close with a telephoto lens that brings distant subjects closer with the use of long focal lengths. ‘The Alien Painting’: Special pop-up exhibition opens in Oceanside "Just minutes before the moon rose, I finished setting up and started shooting with an intervalometer, taking photos every six seconds," Medvinsky continued. "Over the next 45 minutes, Mars appeared to 'catch up' and disappear behind the moon for about an hour before reemerging at the top right." The next day, he reviewed over 1,000 photos on his monitor and decided to create a time-lapse. The photographer explained that his tracking wasn’t perfect, so he manually aligned and cropped over 300 images, using a bright crater as a reference point. "For Mars reemerging, I used Mars itself as the reference, making the moon seem to drift away instead — a cool dual perspective!" said Medvinsky with enthusiasm. "The slight misalignment combined with atmospheric distortion created a natural blending effect." WNDR Museum celebrates two years of creativity with special January events The finished product can be viewed in the time-lapse video below: For observers, a lunar occultation of Mars can be a fascinating event, as it provides a brief moment where the planet is completely obscured by the Moon. For those who missed last week's full Wolf Moon, here are some shots captured by Medvinsky: