Moon will occult Bright Star Aldebaran on Mar 14

11 March, Chennai

Days after a partial solar eclipse could be seen briefly in some parts of the country, there is another celestial event of interest to be looked forward to this month!

On March 14, the moon will be occulting the brightest star of Taurus constellation – Aldebaran at around 2000 hrs IST, a statement from spacr P R said here today. So, what will happen? The moon while going around the earth, occasionally comes in front of stars and planets as seen from the earth. While doing so, sometimes the moon comes in front of very bright stars and ‘occults them’, and that event can be seen with the naked eye.

Lunar occultations timed to an accuracy of a few tenths of a second have various scientific uses, particularly in refining our knowledge of lunar topography or surface.

Most of India, barring the southern part, will witness the event where Aldabaran will be seen going behind the moon and then re-appearing from behind it after an hour or so. The moon in the national capital will disappear at 20:07:25 and reappear at 21:19 Hrs, a statement said.