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occultation
occultation The passage of one astronomical body in front of another, usually the obscuration of a star by the Moon; strictly speaking, a solar eclipse, when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, is a special form of occultation. Precise timings of lunar occultations of stars help to refine our knowledge of the Moon's orbit. Stars can be occulted by asteroids or planetary satellites, which can provide improved diameters for the occulting bodies. Perhaps the best-observed such event was the occultation of the star 28 Sagittarii by Saturn's satellite Titan in 1989. The Galilean satellites of Jupiter are regularly occulted by the planet. Jupiter's satellites may occult one another when Earth lies close to their orbital plane. See also Grazing Occultation.
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Cite this article
"occultation." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "occultation." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-occultation.html "occultation." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-occultation.html |
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occultation
occultation , in astronomy, eclipse of one celestial body by another, e.g., when the moon lies between a star and the earth. Occultations of stars by the moon are important in astronomy. Since stellar positions are very accurately known, the time and position of an occultation can be used to determine the position of the moon. Alternatively, an observer can determine his or her longitude by comparing the time at which he observes an occultation with a table listing the universal time at which the occultation occurs. |
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"occultation." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "occultation." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-occultat.html "occultation." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-occultat.html |
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Occultation
Occultation: see HIDDEN IMĀM.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Occultation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Occultation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Occultation.html JOHN BOWKER. "Occultation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Occultation.html |
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