Antares is a super giant red star and the 15th brightest star we see in the the Southern Hemisphere’s night sky. On the night of September 10th, the Moon will pass in front of Antares and the view should be spectacular, especially when the action starts.
From Perth, the star will begin to be occulted by the Moon at 10.07pm on 10th September, and will reappear at 11.10pm. It should be easy to see the star disappear into the dark limb of the Moon, so start watching from 9pm to witness the full effect. You’ll gradually see the Moon move closer to the star before blocking it from view completely. The reappearance may be a bit harder to see as the star will reemerge from the brighter side of the Moon.
This will look great through telescopes and binoculars if you have access.
Use the above image as a guide. Astronomical images provided by SkySafari, a Simulation Curriculum Company, All rights reserved www.simulationcurriculum.com.
When and where to look:
10.07pm to 11.10pm, 10th September above the western horizon.
Something Interesting:
The International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) exists to encourage, promote and facilitate the observation of occultations and eclipses, as well as providing predictions for occultations of stars by the moon and occultations of stars by asteroids and planets. Check out the Trans Tasman Occultation Alliance (IOTA’s Australasian section) for info on occultation observing across New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.