The lunar occultation of Mars will be visible on the morning of December 18.
The lunar occultation of Saturn will be visible on the evening of December 8, on the evening of January 4.
The lunar occultation of Neptune will be visible on the evening of December 9, on the evening of January 5. Details are given below.
Lunar occultation of planet
A lunar occultation of planet is an astronomical event in which the moon passes in front of a planet in the sky and hides its visibility from us for a short time.
It is quite an impressive sight to observe as a planet disappears behind the moon and reappears from behind the moon after some time.
How often does lunar occultation of a planet occur?
The lunar occultation of a planet doesn’t occur every month when the moon meets the planet in the sky.
It is because the lunar orbit is tilted 5° with respect to the ecliptic — the orbital plane of planets around the sun.
As a result, we see a close conjunction of the moon and planet every month when the moon passes below or above the ecliptic.
The lunar occultation of a planet occurs if the orbital plane of the moon and the orbital plane of a planet intersect during their conjunction.
The moon occults Saturn on December 8
The 47% illuminated first quarter moon will occult Saturn on the evening of December 8, 2024.
The occultation will start on December 8 at 06:35 UTC and end on December 8 at 10:47 UTC.
Saturn will disappear on the dark side of the moon and reappear on the bright side of the moon.
The occultation will be visible from Japan, eastern Philippines, eastern Indonesia and northwestern Papua New Guinea.
However, for the rest of the world, a close conjunction of the moon and Saturn will be seen on the evening of December 8, 2024.
The moon occults Neptune on December 9
The 58% illuminated waxing gibbous moon will occult Neptune on the evening of December 9, 2024.
The occultation will start on December 9 at 06:53 UTC and end on December 9 at 10:20 UTC.
Neptune will disappear on the dark side of the moon and reappear on the bright side of the moon.
The occultation will be visible from Japan, eastern Russia, western Alaska and northeastern China.
However, for the rest of the world, a close conjunction of the moon and Neptune will be seen on the evening of December 9, 2024.
The moon occults Mars on December 18
The 89% illuminated waning gibbous moon will occult Mars on the morning of December 18, 2024.
The occultation will start on December 18 at 07:47 UTC (2:47 a.m. EST) and end on December 18 at 10:47 UTC (5:47 a.m. EST).
Mars will disappear on the bright side of the moon and reappear on the dark side of the moon.
The occultation will be visible from northeastern Canada, Greenland, eastern Russia and northern Alaska.
However, for the rest of the world, a close conjunction of the moon and Mars will be seen on the morning of December 18, 2024.
The moon occults Saturn on January 4
The 25% illuminated waxing crescent moon will occult Saturn on the evening of January 4, 2025.
The occultation will start on January 4 at 14:58 UTC and end on January 4 at 18:43 UTC.
Saturn will disappear on the dark side of the moon and reappear on the bright side of the moon.
The occultation will be visible from Europe, western Russia, northwestern Africa and eastern Greenland
However, for the rest of the world, a close conjunction of the moon and Saturn will be seen on the evening of January 4, 2025.
The moon occults Neptune on January 5
The 35% illuminated waxing crescent moon will occult Neptune on the evening of January 5, 2025.
The occultation will start on January 5 at 13:05 UTC and end on January 5 at 15:36 UTC.
Neptune will disappear on the dark side of the moon and reappear on the bright side of the moon.
The occultation will be visible from Svalbard and northwestern Russia.
However, for the rest of the world, a close conjunction of the moon and Neptune will be seen on the evening of January 5, 2025.
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