Science & Nature · 3
What is the name of the astronomical event where one celestial body passes in front of another?
Answer
Occultation
An occultation is an astronomical event where one celestial body passes in front of another, completely or partially obscuring the distant object's light. For example, the Moon can occult stars and planets as it moves across the sky, and sometimes distant objects occult nearer ones. This differs from eclipses, which specifically involve the Sun. Occultations are useful for studying atmospheric properties of occulted objects, detecting binary stars, and precisely measuring celestial positions. Ancient astronomers used occultations to map the Moon's orbit.
💡 Did you know?
A solar eclipse is a special case of occultation where the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, blocking its light from Earth.
Other options people guess
- Opposition
- Conjunction
- Transit
Topics
- astronomy
- celestial-mechanics
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