occultation

The Moon Occults Aldebaran on January 19-20

January 13, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

The visibility of the lunar occultation of the bright star Aldebaran on Jan. 19-20, 2016. Credit: Lunar-Occultations.com

The waxing gibbous Moon will pass in front of the bright star Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, during the evening of January 19-20, 2016. The event will be visible for all of Canada and the continental U.S. as well as northwestern Europe (see map above). During this occultation, Aldebaran will dramatically disappear behind the darkened edge of the Moon. Then it will suddenly reappear nearly an hour later from behind the lit edge. Exact timing is highly dependent on location, but the event begins between 2h and 3h Universal Time on Jan. 20. You can look up the more precise timing for your location at the Lunar-Occultations.com website. The event is easily visible without optical aid, but a pair of binoculars or a small telescope give you a better view [Read more…] about The Moon Occults Aldebaran on January 19-20

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Snapshot and Video of Lunar Occultation of Venus

December 7, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Venus moves towards the limb of the crescent Moon before a lunar occultation of Venus in daytime on December 7, 2015.

A quick DSLR image of the Moon about to pass in front of Venus. This snapshot taken on a warm December afternoon from Chevy Chase, MD. Venus was easily visible in the daytime sky. As the Moon moves eastward by about 1/2 degree per hour, Venus will re-emerge about a hour later. You can indeed enjoy astronomy by daylight!

Here’s a crude video of the beginning of the occultation:

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Daytime Occultation of Venus by the Moon

December 3, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Image of Venus about to pass behind the crescent Moon (credit: Kevin Jung)

If the nights are growing too chilly for you to go stargazing, then take heart. You can do a little daytime astronomy this week when the waning crescent Moon passes in front of the planet Venus on December 7, 2015. The occultation will occur in daylight skies and can easily be enjoyed with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The event is visible in all of North and Central America. In the rest of the world, the Moon will not pass in front of Venus, but it will lie very close to the planet and guide your eye so you can see Venus in broad daylight. [Read more…] about Daytime Occultation of Venus by the Moon

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Waning Moon Occults the Star Aldebaran

September 2, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

The last-quarter Moon will pass through the Hyades star cluster this weekend, on September 4-5, and for observers in eastern North America and western Europe, the Moon will pass in front of the adjacent bright star Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. During this occultation, the star will disappear behind the lit edge of the Moon, then reappear nearly an hour later, rather dramatically, from behind the dark edge, apparently reemerging out of nowhere. If you’re not in the right place this month, the video above shows Aldebaran as it emerged from behind a waning crescent Moon during an occultation last month [Read more…]

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