Lunar occultation of a planet
A lunar occultation of a planet is an astronomical event in which the moon passes in front of the planet in the sky and hides it from view.
As a result, a planet appears to disappear behind the moon and reappears after some time. A lunar occultation of a planet usually lasts about an hour.
In rare cases, the moon passes in front of two planets simultaneously, creating a double lunar occultation.
The next double lunar occultation of planets will be visible on the morning of February 13, 2056, when the 5% illuminated waning crescent moon will pass in front of Jupiter and Venus at the same time.
How often does a lunar occultation of a planet occur?
A lunar occultation of a planet occurs infrequently. However, when it does, such events tend to occur in clusters over successive months, especially in the case of the outer planets.
It does not happen every month when the moon meets a planet in the sky because the lunar orbit is tilted by about 5° with respect to the ecliptic—the orbital plane of the planets around the sun.
As a result, you see a close conjunction of the moon and the planet each month when the moon passes below or above the ecliptic.
A lunar occultation of a planet occurs when the orbital plane of the moon and the orbital plane of a planet intersect during their conjunction.
Lunar occultation of Mercury on February 18
The 2% illuminated waxing crescent moon will pass in front of Mercury on February 18, 2026, creating a lunar occultation.
Occultation begins (February 18, 20:50 UTC)
The lunar occultation of Mercury will begin on February 18, 2026, at 20:50 UTC, when Mercury appears to disappear behind the moon.
Occultation ends (February 19, 01:30 UTC)
The lunar occultation of Mercury will end on February 19, 2026, at 01:30 UTC, when Mercury reappears from behind the moon.
Visibility: The lunar occultation of Mercury will be visible from the contiguous United States, Mexico, eastern Australia, and New Zealand.
The event will favor observers in the United States and Mexico, where it will be visible in the evening twilight.
About the map: The red dotted contour indicates daytime occultation, the cyan contour indicates occultation at moonrise or moonset, the blue contour indicates twilight occultation, and the white contour indicates nighttime occultation.
Lunar occultation of Venus on June 17
The lunar occultation of Venus will be visible on June 17, 2026, when the 11% illuminated waxing crescent moon passes in front of Venus. The greatest occultation will occur at 20:21 UTC (4:21 p.m. EDT). It will be visible from Brazil (in the evening), Venezuela (in the evening twilight), the contiguous United States (in the daytime), and Canada (in the daytime).
Lunar occultation of Jupiter on October 6
The lunar occultation of Jupiter will be visible on October 6, 2026, when the 19% illuminated waning crescent moon passes in front of Jupiter. The greatest occultation will occur at 10:16 UTC (6:16 a.m. EDT). It will be visible from parts of the United States (in the early morning), Canada (in the early morning), Mexico (in the early morning), and Africa (in the daytime).
Please bookmark Spaceandtelescope.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get latest space news, upcoming skywatching events and astronomy-related content.
