A rare celestial event called an Occultation, will be visible in Goa after the midnight of 14th October.
The Association of Friends of Astronomy (Goa) will organise observation events at The Public Astronomical Observatories ( Under dept. of Science, Tech. & Waste Mgmt.) at Junta House, Panaji and Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. The venues will be open from 11.00pm on 14th October till the end of the phenomena. Entry is free and open to all.
Two heavenly bodies passing in front of each other, cause one to disappear for a brief period from the sky. When the Moon, Sun and Earth are involved, this event is commonly called an Eclipse but when any other bodies are in play, this rare event is scientifically called an Occultation. As the Moon passes in front of Saturn after the 14th October midnight, it will temporarily hide Saturn from view in what is eagerly awaited as a captivating sight for astronomy enthusiasts and casual observers alike. The Moon / Saturn occultation is visible from a very restricted area because the Moon is so close to the Earth and its position in the sky varies by as much as two degrees across the world.
After midnight on Monday 14th October, as 15th dawns, the disappearance of Saturn behind the Moon occurs at 00:12 IST in the south-western sky at an altitude of 49.7 degrees. Its reappearance from behind the Moon will be visible at 01:21 IST at an altitude of 34.8 degrees. Telescopic views reveal the ringed planet gracefully gliding behind the cratered lunar surface only to reappear 70 minutes later from the other side. Jupiter with the 4 Galilean Moons will also be visible in the opposite portion of the sky.
