Most of you would have enjoyed the supermoon yesterday evening and most of you have taken wonderful photos. Today evening we have one more exciting astronomical event and that is occultation of star Aldebaran by Moon. Tonight moon will occult giant Aldebaran. since both objects are bright enough it will be easy to observe even with naked eye, a pair of binoculars and of course with telescopes. I would suggest you get all the setup ready before the given time and wait for the event rather than waiting until last minute. The chart below will be helpful to show the entry point and exit point of the star during occultation.
Astronomers have used occultation to know about the size, shape and distance of the objects. Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus, it is at a distance of 65 light years from Sun. By measuring the time taken for that star from disappearing and reappearing and getting reports from different parts of the world we get a pretty good idea of the shape of the object. Today evening moon will occult Aldebaran from the south near the crater Tycho. Use the chart below to follow the star from disappearance to its re emergence. Try and measure the time taken between the star disappearance and re emergence using stop watch. All the best and hoping for clear skies.
Time of disappearance 15:26:46 UT
Time of re emergence 15:57:45 UT
Moon in the constellation of Taurus and close to star Aldebaran.
Moon about to Occult the star.
Aldebaran re emerging after Occultation.
No comments:
Post a Comment