May 2007
2007.05.22
Local:Pátio (Leiria 39.75N 8.82W alt:60m)
Occultation of Saturn
There aren't many occasions where we can observe simultaneously and at great magnifications two of the most interesting members of our solar system. Fortunely with last hour truces by the meteorology occultation I was able to see the reapearance of Saturn eclipsed by the Moon.The last I've observed was more than 5 years on November of 2001 and the next complete occultation that will be visible from Leiria (and the outskirts) will occur only at October,25 2014 (in broad daylight)...
 Saturn and Moon 20:10 UT |
Long and also short were the minutes during the half-an-hour that lasted from the Saturn's disappearance to the reappearence from behind the Moon. It seemed that the cloud's holes passed too fast and the next hole seemed never to arrive. Still with a blue sky foreground, I followed the reappearence with 20cm dob and shooted some photographs with the Sky90. Although the "rise" of Saturn rings looked like an unexpected mountain on the lunar limb, I found that the planet already completely detached was a more spectacular view as that if it was hanging on the lunar surface, this effect was bigger using a big magnification. Later the show ended with lunar glory or better, with lunar corona with small but bright Saturn turning this a fascinating a rare sight.
 Saturn and Moon 20:17 UT (clique na imagem - click on the image) |
Planetary occultations are cyclical phenomenons with a somewhat short period . On the Saturn case two series of occultations occur in a period of 11.4 years (Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Meeus). The observer's geographic position determines if we see an occultation, a grazing or simply a pass by. For each of such situations to happen, it is enough to some dozens of kilometers . At Leiria occured an occultation but it would be enough moving 50 kilometers to south to see it grazing, as occurred to the observers at Lisbon that can seen on this of “almost” grazing animation.
Below is planetary moon occultations table from Leiria (an neraby) to 2025 calculated by LOW 3.1:
| Planet | Mag | Date | Day | Hour | D/R | Limb | RA | Dec | Alt | Az | Constellation |
| d m y | h m s | h m s | º ' " |
º |
º |
||||||
| Saturn | 0.7 | 22-05-2007 | Tue | 19:50:40 | D | B | 09h27m46.1717s | +16ｰ18'37.302" | 57 | 233 | Leo |
| Saturn | 0.7 | 22-05-2007 | Tue | 20:08:17 | R | B | 09h27m46.3336s | +16ｰ18'36.492" | 54 | 239 | Leo |
| Mars | 1.4 | 10-05-2008 | Sat | 11:49:37 | D | D | 08h11m45.6926s | +21ｰ46'13.746" | 17 | 75 | Can |
| Mars | 1.4 | 10-05-2008 | Sat | 12:53:01 | R | B | 08h11m51.6168s | +21ｰ45'53.393" | 29 | 85 | Can |
| Venus | -3.6 | 01-12-2008 | Mon | 15:27:24 | D | D | 19h39m13.4935s | -23ｰ54'22.877" | 27 | 179 | Sag |
| Venus | -3.6 | 01-12-2008 | Mon | 17:09:01 | R | B | 19h39m34.9624s | -23ｰ53'33.049" | 23 | 204 | Sag |
| Jupiter | -1.6 | 15-07-2012 | Sun | 02:08:36 | R | D | 04h21m52.7072s | +20ｰ44'38.898" | 0 | 62 | Tau |
| Saturn | 0.7 | 25-10-2014 | Sat | 16:19:41 | D | D | 15h25m02.8450s | -16ｰ40'40.578" | 23 | 221 | Lib |
| Saturn | 0.7 | 25-10-2014 | Sat | 17:08:32 | R | B | 15h25m03.7791s | -16ｰ40'44.239" | 16 | 231 | Lib |
| Saturn | 0.7 | 02-02-2019 | Sat | 06:16:04 | R | D | 19h05m18.7630s | -22ｰ08'05.011" | 1 | 120 | Sag |
| Jupiter | -1.3 | 28-11-2019 | Thu | 10:07:42 | R | B | 17h55m48.8101s | -23ｰ17'24.203" | 7 | 128 | Sag |
| Venus | -3.8 | 19-06-2020 | Fri | 07:16:18 | D | B | 04h18m39.3508s | +18ｰ34'21.014" | 37 | 96 | Tau |
| Venus | -3.8 | 19-06-2020 | Fri | 08:06:18 | R | D | 04h18m37.5518s | +18ｰ33'56.422" | 47 | 106 | Tau |
| Mars | -1.7 | 06-09-2020 | Sun | 06:03:39 | C | D | 01h50m18.2545s | +06ｰ47'57.550" | 41 | 241 | Pis |
| Uranus | 6.0 | 14-09-2022 | Wed | 22:01:25 | R | D | 03h05m32.1424s | +17ｰ02'14.880" | 10 | 76 | Ari |
| Mars | -1.6 | 08-12-2022 | Thu | 05:25:55 | D | D | 04h58m34.4974s | +24ｰ59'34.600" | 27 | 281 | Tau |
| Mars | -1.6 | 08-12-2022 | Thu | 06:03:48 | R | D | 04h58m31.8122s | +24ｰ59'34.308" | 20 | 287 | Tau |
| Saturn | 0.8 | 21-08-2024 | Wed | 03:12:31 | D | B | 23h16m55.9017s | -06ｰ58'44.317" | 40 | 206 | Aqu |
| Saturn | 0.8 | 21-08-2024 | Wed | 04:19:30 | R | D | 23h16m55.1860s | -06ｰ58'49.253" | 32 | 225 | Aqu |
| Mars | -0.7 | 18-12-2024 | Wed | 09:47:42 | D | B | 08h34m03.0674s | +22ｰ11'33.932" | 9 | 292 | Can |
| Saturn | 1.2 | 04-01-2025 | Sat | 17:03:42 | D | D | 23h07m07.7659s | -07ｰ47'47.997" | 42 | 187 | Aqu |
| Saturn | 1.2 | 04-01-2025 | Sat | 18:17:38 | R | B | 23h07m08.6779s | -07ｰ47'41.876" | 38 | 210 | Aqu |
| Venus | -3.3 | 19-09-2025 | Fri | 12:19:59 | D | B | 10h09m38.3066s | +12ｰ21'14.339" | 56 | 222 | Leo |
| Venus | -3.3 | 19-09-2025 | Fri | 13:22:37 | R | D | 10h09m50.6548s | +12ｰ20'12.212" | 47 | 242 | Leo |
nota: D/R (D)isappearence/(R)eappearence, Limb ((B)right/(D)ark)