Occultation of Venus

An occultation occurs when one object passes directly in front of another, obscuring it from view with its disk. For example, the Moon can block a more distant star from view. And occultations can happen with the planets as well, where they block other planets or stars. An occultation is different from a transit, where an object passes in front of another. Let’s take a look at Venus occultations.

One of the most recent events was the occultation of Venus behind the Moon. This rare event was seen by some observers on Earth. Venus passed behind one edge of the Moon, and then 7 hours later it popped out on the opposite side.

Here’s a video that shows the occultation of Venus by the Moon, captured from Germany:

There have been 4 Venus/Jupiter occultations since the Roman era. The first and best one occurred in 2 BC, when the two planets were only 45 degrees away from the Sun. Some historians think this ancient occultation might have been an explanation for the star of Bethlehem. The next Venus/Jupiter occultation will happen on 2065, but it will be only 8 degrees away from the Sun, and too bright for people to see easily from here on Earth.

We have written many articles about Venus for Universe Today. Here’s an article about Venus’ wet, volcanic past, and here’s an article about how Venus might have had continents and oceans in the ancient past.

Want more information on Venus? Here’s a link to Hubblesite’s News Releases about Venus, and here’s a link to NASA’s Solar System Exploration Guide on Venus.

We have recorded a whole episode of Astronomy Cast that’s only about planet Venus. Listen to it here, Episode 50: Venus.