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Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Luna Occults Antares (again) - Most of NAmerica's last chance 'til 2009

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/050715_ … s.html]3rd and final time this year

*Unfortunately, a lot of North America is outside the occultation zone.  My region of the U.S. -is- in the zone.  Cities and times listed.  I'm amazed this event will occur at a reasonable hour (and -not- 2:43 a.m.-ish, as seems usual) and on a weekend.  Of course I suppose we'll have a thunderstorm...   

Occultations of Antares (the sky's 15th brightest star and my favorite) will continue for other parts of the world, but as for North Americans ... most of us won't have this opportunity again until June 2009. 

Luna will be at 85% disc illumination, so:

Those within the occultation zone will see Antares wink-out on the dark, unilluminated part of the Moon's disk and popping back into view on the Moon's bright side.  The Moon's overall brightness will probably overwhelm Antares as it gets close to the Moon's edge.

...you will likely need a small telescope or at the very least binoculars to follow it first into the Moon's dark limb and then back out from the bright lunar limb a short while later.

Check out the "Don't miss the near miss" portion of the article for you folks who might not be in the actual occultation zone.

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Luna Occults Antares (again) - Most of NAmerica's last chance 'til 2009

*Wasn't able to see this event.  Too cloudy, though ironically the thinnest cloud cover was over Luna, but just enough to obscure all stars (Luna appeared extremely hazy/fuzzy).  T-storms developing to the west and north. 

Usually our nights are crystal-clear and wonderful for viewing...but monsoon season is brewing.

::shakes head::

If occultations don't occur in your vicinity, then they occur at some hideous hour like 2:34 a.m.; and if at a reasonable hour, then it's cloudy.  ::sigh::  They have been, in my experience, the most difficult of celestial events to observe (regardless of where I've lived).

--Cindy 

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)