July 21, Colombo (LNW): A rare astronomical event, the Lunar Occultation of Saturn, will be visible in Sri Lanka just after midnight on 24th July 2024.
The Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies has announced that the event will commence at approximately 00:50 a.m. on 25th July 2024, and can be seen with the naked eye by observing the Moon from around 00:40 a.m.
For a clearer view of Saturn’s disappearance and reappearance, the Institute recommends using a telescope or binoculars.
In an occultation, one celestial body passes in front of another, blocking it from view. This event occurs when the Moon moves in front of Saturn, obscuring it from view on Earth.
The Moon will hide Saturn for about one hour and twenty minutes, and this phenomenon will only be visible from specific regions on Earth. In Sri Lanka, the visibility time and duration will slightly vary by location.
The next Lunar Occultation of Saturn visible from Sri Lanka will occur on 24th April 2037.
