{"id":62680,"date":"2024-08-21T10:33:58","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T10:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7ca923fb-c788-44fd-982d-18b405fd9d8c"},"modified":"2024-08-21T10:39:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T10:39:42","slug":"saturn-disappears-behind-the-moon-in-lunar-occultation-of-the-ringed-planet","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/saturn-disappears-behind-the-moon-in-lunar-occultation-of-the-ringed-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturn disappears behind the Moon in lunar occultation of the ringed planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 21 August 2024 at 10:33 AM<\/p>

\n\n

A lunar occultation of the planet Saturn was visible from the UK in the early hours of 21 August 2024.<\/p>

This marked a great chance to see one of the most inspiring sights in planetary observing, as Saturn disappeared behind the Moon from our perspective on Earth, only to reappear 45 minutes later.<\/p>

Find out more about how to calculate and observe lunar occultations<\/a> and how to observe Saturn<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Lunar occultation of Saturn captured by Josh Dury from Somerset, UK, 21 August 2024. Click to expand. Credit: Josh Dury<\/figcaption><\/figure>
**Lunar occultations explained<\/strong><\/h2>**A lunar occultation<\/a> occurs when the Moon\u2019s disc appears to cover a more distant object, hiding it from view.<\/p>
Although the Moon looks impressive and dominant in a dark sky, its apparent size is actually only half a degree across.<\/p>
The Moon is able to move around the sky in a relatively narrow corridor approximately 10\u00b0 wide, centred on the ecliptic<\/a>.<\/p>
The main planets also stay near the ecliptic, but the width of the Moon\u2019s corridor means planetary occultations are infrequent.\u00a0<\/p>
$\"Beginning$
Beginning of the lunar occultation of Saturn, 21 August 2024, captured by Steve Elliott from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK, using a Seestar 50 smart telescope. Click to expand. Credit: Steve Elliott<\/figcaption><\/figure>
There are three types of lunar occultation event: disappearance, reappearance and a graze.<\/p>
The third type is a special kind of occultation where, from your position, the Moon\u2019s edge appears to scrape the more distant object.<\/p>
In the case of a planet with a tangible apparent size, it only gets partially hidden by the Moon.<\/p>
$\"The$
The lunar occultation of Saturn, 22 May 2007. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Saturn lunar occultation dates and times<\/strong><\/h2>
The lunar occultation of Saturn on 21 August was a full occultation from the UK.<\/p>
Disappearance occured at 04:28 BST (03:28 UT) at the start of dawn.<\/p>
The sky was fairly dark at this time, making Saturn easy to monitor as the Moon approaches.<\/p>
The lunar occultation of Saturn was visible seen with the naked eye, although the Moon\u2019s brightness can make Saturn harder to see close to the lunar limb.<\/p>
Binoculars will show a lunar occultation well, but a telescope will really bring home what\u2019s happening.<\/p>
It took 49 seconds for the Moon\u2019s edge to fully cover the planet.\u00a0<\/p>
Saturn reappeared 45 minutes later, at 05:13 BST (04:13 UT), from behind the Moon\u2019s dark edge.<\/p>
$\"Chart$
Saturn\u2019s brighter Moons will also be occulted on 21 August 2024. Titan\u2019s reappearance 8 minutes 9 seconds before the planet is a good heads-up for where you can expect Saturn to reappear. Click image to expand. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Observing the occultation<\/strong><\/h2>
At the time of the occultation, Saturn appeared quite edge-on to us, its northern pole tilted toward us by just 3\u00b0.<\/p>
Consequently, the planet\u2019s rings appeared rather thin, something most apparent if usinga smaller scope.<\/p>
Another interesting observation to carry out during the event is the planet\u2019s brighter moons being occulted.<\/p>
Brightening skies may make them harder to see, but Saturn\u2019s largest moon, Titan, should be easy to keep track of during disappearance and just visible at reappearance.\u00a0<\/p>
The Moon is close to Earth and exhibits parallax, appearing in a slightly different position relative to the background stars depending on your location.<\/p>
***Did you observe or photograph the lunar occultation of Saturn on 21 August 2024? Let us know by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n***
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