Early Tuesday morning, October 6, is a rare astronomical event in which the waning crescent Moon passes directly in front of Jupiter. Known as an occultation, this event will be visible across much of the eastern and central United States and parts of southern Canada before dawn. Observers will see Jupiter disappear behind the Moon's bright sunlit edge and then reappear about an hour later from the Moon's dark limb. This is the best Jupiter occultation visible from North America since 2004 and offers an especially favorable viewing opportunity because it occurs in a dark sky well before sunrise.
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| Simulation of Jupiter's occultation by the Moon Stellarium software |
Binoculars or a telescope will provide the best views, particularly when Jupiter disappears against the Moon's bright crescent. Jupiter's reemergence should be easily visible and especially dramatic. Skywatchers may also witness the occultations of Jupiter's four Galilean moons: Europa, Io, Ganymede, and Callisto, as they disappear and reappear around the same time. Lunar occultations of Jupiter are relatively uncommon for any given location, occurring on average only about once every 13 years under dark-sky conditions. While the event offers little scientific value, it is presented as a memorable and visually striking spectacle that astronomy enthusiasts should not miss.
Extended forecast is predicting excellent conditions for viewing this event. Event timings for the eastern US (Baltimore MD) are shown below:
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| Event times - Baltimore, MD |
See the Astronomy Magazine article for the complete details.
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