If Antares reappears from behind the moon after the moon has set, the notation "Not visible" is used. "Daylight" indicates that Antares disappears behind the moon's dark limb before sunset. A single asterisk (*) means the event occurs during evening twilight. In the table below, we provide a timetable for 14 selected locations, giving the local times and the moon's altitude for both Antares' disappearance and reappearance. The problem is, this will all happen along the moon's bright limb making it very difficult to see. The upcoming occultation will present a rare, albeit brief chance to catch a glimpse of the companion star as it pops into view before Antares. American astronomer, Mary Proctor (1862-1957) referred to it as "the wily companion of Antares." So, Antares and its companion are separated by 1/667 of a moon diameter, or 0.00075 degrees!). (To appreciate how small 2.7 arc seconds is, the moon's apparent width averages 1,800 arc seconds in diameter. Since this faint secondary star is 2.7 arc seconds due west from Antares, it will always reappear five seconds before Antares itself. (Image credit: Babak Tafreshi/TWAN) A "wily companion" starĪdding even more interest to this event for those who will be watching under a dark sky is Antares' 5th-magnitude companion star, Antares B, which was discovered from Vienna, Austria by Professor Johann Tobias Burg during the Antares occultation of April 13, 1819. Sadly, for those in the Pacific time zone, the entire occultation will take place before sunset.Īntares, a red supergiant star in the constellation Scorpius, shines as the bright-red sparkle at the center of the image. But when Antares reappears along the moon's bright limb about an hour later, the sky will be much darker. will have the best view of this event, with both the disappearance and reappearance of Antares occurring in a dark sky.Īcross the Mountain time zone, seeing Antares disappear will be complicated by the fact that the disappearance occurs either just before sunset or at dusk against a bright twilight sky. From Miami, for instance, Antares will miss the moon's lower limb by a scant 3 arc minutes - or one-tenth of the apparent diameter of the moon. Those on the Florida peninsula who live below this path will see the moon narrowly miss Antares. For those who live in Gainesville, Florida, the fiery red star may spectacularly flash in and out of sight a number of times as it is clipped by lunar mountains along the moon's dark southern limb for several minutes centered on 11:22 p.m. This marks the southern limit of the occultation. (such as at Atlanta), the moon will appear higher in the sky and both the disappearance and reappearance will be visible.Ī path only a few miles wide at most will run roughly from Florida's Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve east-northeast across northern Florida to St. For those located farther south across the Southeastern U.S. (Image credit: Westend61/Getty Images)Īnd unfortunately, the star's reappearance occurs after the moon has already set. The moon beside Antares as seen from the Hochtaunuskreis region of Germany in an undated photo. From Washington, D.C., the moon will be 9 degrees above the horizon, from New York its 6 degrees and for Boston it's only 3 degrees - only about one third of a fist! Your clenched fist held out at arm's length measures roughly 10 degrees in the night sky. is that Antares and the moon will be very low in the west-southwest sky when the star disappears behind the moon's dark limb. Binoculars will pull the star in well, and a small telescope will afford a superb view.Ī drawback for those living in the Northeastern U.S. So, block as much of the moon's sunlit portion as you can with a finger, a telephone pole or the edge of a building at least 20-feet away. However, the moon's glare might hinder the visibility of Antares. Like a switch being thrown, Antares will appear to abruptly blink out behind the moon's dark limb, a sight that should be able to be seen with the unaided eye if you have good vision. The star's disappearance will be spectacular wherever the moon is up in a dark sky. Want to see Antares pass behind the moon? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.
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