Tuesday, May 27

Great Image: Moon and Saturn Occultation


 
The composite image above shows the Moon Saturn Occultation from May 14th.  Created by amateur astronomer Paul Steward (see more of his work here), it was highlighted by Phil Plait in his Slate magazine column:
While these two tracks cross each other, it’s relatively rare for the Moon and Saturn to be at the same place at the same time. But it does happen, and it’s called an occultation. The Moon slowly covers Saturn, blocking it for some time, then once again moves out of the way to reveal the ringed planet. In this case, the timing of the May 14 occultation made it visible only for observers in the southern hemisphere, specifically Australia and New Zealand.
Image Credit:  Paul Steward, New Zeland