Venus will slip behind the Moon on Monday in a lunar occultation visible from across Jordan, an event that occurs when the Moon passes between an observer on Earth and the planet, hiding it from view.
اضافة اعلان
Ammar Al-Sakaji, president of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, said calculations for Amman and its suburbs put the start of the occultation at 12:47 p.m., with Venus fully hidden by 12:49. The planet begins to emerge at 2:13 p.m. and is fully visible again by 2:15. Total occultation lasts roughly one hour and 24 minutes.
Because the event falls in the middle of the day, observers will need telescopes, binoculars or astronomical cameras, along with skies clear of cloud and dust. Al-Sakaji described naked-eye viewing as difficult and said the society will observe the occultation, document it and share the results with the public.
The two bodies will drift apart afterwards. By the time they set, the angular separation between the Moon and Venus will be about 2 degrees and 20 arcminutes, and they will set within five minutes of each other, leaving them visible close together low in the sky.
Viewing gets easier once the Sun goes down. Al-Sakaji said the Moon and Venus can then be seen with the naked eye from anywhere in Jordan, provided the western horizon is unobstructed and the weather stays clear.
The occultation also carries scientific value. Precise timing of when a body disappears behind the lunar limb and reappears helps astronomers map the topography of the Moon's edge and test theoretical calculations against real observations, Al-Sakaji explained.
The society urged caution for anyone observing during daylight and warned against pointing a telescope or binoculars at or near the Sun. Looking at the Sun through optical equipment without a dedicated solar filter can cause serious and permanent eye damage.
Source: Petra, via Al-Ghad
