Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has released a video capturing the occultation of the moon passing in front of the bright red star Antares (Jyeshtha).Since the moon is relatively close to the Earth, such occultations will be visible only from some locations on the globe, similar to why a solar eclipse is seen only from a particular part of the globe.
Occultation in Astronomy
- An occultation in astronomy occurs when one celestial body passes in front of another, obscuring it from view.
- Occultations can also be artificially produced to take a look at certain phenomena in detail. Perhaps the best-known use is blocking the light of the sun or a star to see what is nearby.
- In the case of lunar occultations, the Moon appears to move in front of other objects in the sky, such as stars, planets, or asteroids.
Lunar Occultations of Stars
- The Moon regularly occults bright stars as it moves along its apparent path in the sky.
- Approximately 850 naked-eye stars, including prominent ones like Aldebaran (reddish giant star in the constellation Taurus), Regulus (constellation Leo), Spica (constellation of Virgo), and Antares, may be occulted by the Moon in a year.
- During a lunar occultation of a star, the star appears to abruptly disappear as the Moon moves in front of it, demonstrating the lack of atmosphere on the Moon.
Lunar Occultations of Planets
- Occultations of planets, such as Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn, by the Moon are notable astronomical events.
- During a lunar occultation, observers can witness phases on both the planet and the Moon, offering unique viewing opportunities.
Asteroid Occultations
- Asteroids are small, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun. Sometimes, they pass in front of distant stars, causing an occultation.
Planetary Occultations
- Planetary occultations are rare and intriguing events where one planet passes in front of another from our perspective on Earth, temporarily hiding it from view.
- These events are similar to asteroid occultations but involve planets instead.
- Historically, mutual planetary occultations have been extremely rare. The most recent one occurred on January 3, 1818, when Venus passed in front of Jupiter.
Antares
- It is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio. The star is a red supergiant about 12 times the mass of the sun, 750 times the diameter of the sun.
- Antares is part of a binary star system. The fainter secondary star is called Antares B, a main-sequence star with a blue-white hue.
- These two stars are projected to be more than 220 Astronomical Units (AU) away from each other.
Indian Institute of Astrophysics
- The IIA is a premier institute devoted to research in astronomy, astrophysics and related physics. It originated from an observatory set up in 1786 in Madras, which later moved to Kodaikanal in 1899.
- In 1971, it became the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and shifted its headquarters to Bengaluru in 1975.
- The institute’s main observing facilities are located at Kodaikanal, Kavalur, Gauribidanur, and Hanle.
- It conducts research in physical sciences, engineering sciences, astronomy, and space sciences under the Department of Science & Technology (DST).