What does occultation mean?
1 : the state of being hidden from view or lost to notice. 2 : the interruption of the light from a celestial body or of the signals from a spacecraft by the intervention of a celestial body especially : an eclipse of a star or planet by the moon.
Where does the word occultation come from?
occultation (n.) early 15c., occultacioun, “disguise or concealment of identity,” from Latin occultationem (nominative occultatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of occultare “to hide, conceal,” frequentative of occulere “to cover over, conceal” (see occult).
What is meant by occultation in one sentence?
In space, an occultation happens when one object passes in front of another from an observer’s perspective. A simple example is a solar eclipse. From a certain area on Earth, the moon passes in front of the sun and either partially or totally blocks the light. So we can say that the sun is “eclipsed” or “occulted.”
Is occultation an eclipse?
Solar eclipses result from the Moon blocking the Sun relative to the Earth; thus Earth, Moon and Sun all lie on a line. Lunar eclipses work the same way in a different order: Moon, Earth and Sun all on a line. An occultation occurs when a celestial object is eclipsed by the Moon or another solar system body.
What is a transit event?
In astronomy, a transit (or astronomical transit) is a phenomenon when a celestial body passes directly between a larger body and the observer. As viewed from a particular vantage point, the transiting body appears to move across the face of the larger body, covering a small portion of it.
What is difference between occultation and eclipse?
An eclipse is the result of the total or partial masking of a celestial body by another along an observer’s line of sight. An occultation occurs when a celestial object is eclipsed by the Moon or another solar system body.
What are Moon Occults?
Occultations by the Moon The term occultation is most frequently used to describe those relatively frequent occasions when the Moon passes in front of a star during the course of its orbital motion around the Earth.
What is it called when the star blocks the planet?
The Short Answer: Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets.
Which solar eclipse is a rare phenomenon?
annular solar eclipse
The annular solar eclipse is a rare phenomenon where the Moon develops a cosmic halo.
What is transit associated with?
Answer: In astronomy, a transit (or astronomical transit) is a phenomenon when a celestial body passes directly between a larger body and the observer. However, the probability of seeing a transiting planet is low because it is dependent on the alignment of the three objects in a nearly perfectly straight line.