lunar occultation – Astronomy Now

Expert astronomy: watch the Moon occult Venus

18 June 2020 Mark Armstrong

The Moon occults Venus on the morning of Friday 19 June in an exciting and quite rare event, which can be observed across the whole of the UK through a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.

Watch the Moon hide naked-eye star Tejat in Gemini on 9 January

5 January 2020 Ade Ashford

Magnitude +2.9 star Mu (μ) Geminorum, better nown as Tejat in the constellation of Gemini, is occulted (hidden) by the rising 13-day-old waxing gibbous Moon early on the evening of Thursday, 9 January 2020 as seen from the entire British Isles. This is a spectacle for small telescopes and large binoculars, the first bright lunar occultation of a busy year for such events.

Watch the Moon hide naked-eye star Zeta (ζ) Tauri on 19 October

11 October 2019 Ade Ashford

When a nearby astronomical body passes between the observer and a more distant object, see say that an occultation is taking place. Since the Moon is our nearest celestial neighbour, it regularly passes in front of planets and stars. Observers in the British Isles can see naked-eye star Zeta (ζ) Tauri glide behind the Moon on Saturday, 19 October 2019.

See the Moon buzz the Beehive Cluster on 10-11 May

6 May 2019 Ade Ashford

UK skywatchers with a view low to the west between midnight and moonset on Saturday, 11 May 2019 can see the 6-day-old waxing crescent Moon close to Messier 44, otherwise known as Praesepe, or the Beehive Cluster. Later, observers on North America’s Eastern Seaboard can see the Moon pass in front of this glorious open cluster just before local midnight on 10 May.

See the crescent Moon pass in front of star gamma Librae on 24 September

23 September 2017 Ade Ashford

A waxing crescent Moon hanging low above the horizon in evening twilight is always a pleasant sight to behold, but observers in the UK watching the 4-day-old Moon through a telescope around 40 minutes after sunset on Sunday, 24 September have an additional treat in store in the form of an occultation of naked-eye star gamma (γ) Librae.

Moon causes double disappearance

4 May 2017 Astronomy Now

The best UK lunar occultation this month occurs tonight when the dark limb of an eight-day-old Moon occults the star 49 Leonis.

See the Moon hit a bull’s-eye in Taurus, pre-dawn 5 September

4 September 2015 Ade Ashford

In the dawn twilight of Saturday, 5 September, observers in the British Isles with clear skies can see the last quarter Moon pass in front of first-magnitude star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus — the brightest star (aside from the Sun) to be occulted by the Moon as seen from the UK this year.