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This astronomical photograph captures a lunar occultation of Saturn that occurred in early 2025, visible from a narrow path across Greenland, central Europe, and northern Africa. The composite image, taken from Sardinia, Italy, combines three exposures showing Saturn before it was obscured by Earth's Moon, with the bright dot near Saturn identified as the star 85 Aquarii. The next visible occultation of Saturn by the Moon from Earth will occur in 2031.
Why it matters
Lunar occultations provide valuable opportunities for precise astronomical measurements and timing studies, as the Moon's well-known position allows astronomers to refine orbital calculations. These relatively rare celestial alignments also offer engaging educational moments for public astronomy outreach and demonstrate the predictability of celestial mechanics.
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Saturn Behind the Moon
Explanation: Sometimes Saturn disappears. It doesn’t really go away, of course — it just disappears from our view when Earth’s Moon moves in front. Such a Saturnian eclipse, more formally called an occultation, was visible in early 2025 along a small swath of Earth — from Greenland through central Europe and into northern Africa. The featured image is a digital fusion of three images, the first of just Saturn before it disappeared, and then two more of the Moon with different exposure lengths. The images were taken from Sardinia, Italy, after sunset. The bright dot near Saturn is not a moon of Saturn, but rather the star 85 Aquarii, which is further behind Saturn than Saturn is behind the Moon. The next time the Moon moves in front of Saturn, as visible from some place on Earth, will be in 2031.
Tomorrow’s picture: small but mighty
| Date | November 10, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit & Copyright | Roberto Ortu |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |