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Moon Occults Aldebaran - Saturday Evening March 4

Notrump

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Notrump
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The nearly Half Moon will occult (cover) the magnitude +0.9 star Aldebaran for North American observers during the evening of Saturday 2017 MAR 04. As with solar eclipses, occultations are limited to specific zones on Earth.

Aldebaran is one of four first magnitude stars that can be occulted. The current series of 49 Aldebaran occultations commenced on 2015 JAN 29 and will conclude on 2018 SEP 02. The following series will commence on 2033 AUG 18.

Immersion this time will occur on the lunar dark limb and emersion on the bright limb. An observer on a graze path will witness the star winking on and off as lunar hills and valleys pass by. Anyone between the graze paths will see a full occultation.

I’ve created a North American graze map, a preview graphic with data for Chicago, and a set of Besselian elements for input to a computer program. They can be seen by visiting my Occultations webpage at www.CurtRenz.com/occultations.html

Photos and descriptions of the occultation would be welcome additions to this thread. If you would like a specific occultation or graze prediction for your location, please reply to this post with your longitude, latitude, elevation and time zone.
 
Is this something one can view with the naked eye? Like will there be a pretty obvious star and then the star blinks out as it goes behind the moon? Or would a scope really be necessary?

Thanks.
 
Dr. Keith said:
Is this something one can view with the naked eye? Like will there be a pretty obvious star and then the star blinks out as it goes behind the moon? Or would a scope really be necessary?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Also, would a pair of binoculars be okay? I don't have a telescope.
 
Spindrift said:
Also, would a pair of binoculars be okay? I don't have a telescope.
Click to expand...

Also, I want to confirm my reading the Graze Map. It looks like a line between the two 04:10 marks runs pretty close to Dallas. That converts to 10:10pm on Saturday. Is that how this should be read?
 
Spindrift said:
HOAX - Everyone knows Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star.
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A foolish mistake. If the Death Star had attempted to destroy Aldebaran, Hastur the Unspeakable would have risen from the Lake of Hali and rendered that pitiful construct as lifeless as the accursed city of Carcosa.

Have you seen the Yellow Sign?
 
Dr. Keith said:
Is this something one can view with the naked eye? Like will there be a pretty obvious star and then the star blinks out as it goes behind the moon? Or would a scope really be necessary?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Spindrift said:
Also, would a pair of binoculars be okay? I don't have a telescope.
Click to expand...


In this case involving the dark portion of a Half Moon occulting a rather bright star, as you suggest you should be able to notice the star blinking out with your naked eyes. However, a telescope or binoculars may enhance the experience. ;)
 
Dr. Keith said:
Also, I want to confirm my reading the Graze Map. It looks like a line between the two 04:10 marks runs pretty close to Dallas. That converts to 10:10pm on Saturday. Is that how this should be read?
Click to expand...


That would be roughly the time of maximum occultation, i.e. about midway between the times of immersion and emersion.

Here are the timings I've determined for a point in Dallas, which would not likely be precisely the same as your location.

21:44:37 CST - Immersion
22:18:25 CST - Maximum Occultation
22:50:22 CST - Emersion
 
If the sky is as clear on Saturday as it was last night, we should have a good chance at seeing the occultation -- more or less two hours after Dr. Keith.

Fortunately, I live in an area not as polluted by light as the area 20 miles south, on the other side of the ridge: Los Angeles.
 
xterra said:
If the sky is as clear on Saturday as it was last night, we should have a good chance at seeing the occultation -- more or less two hours after Dr. Keith.

Fortunately, I live in an area not as polluted by light as the area 20 miles south, on the other side of the ridge: Los Angeles.
Click to expand...


Sounds good. Actually you'll see it in real time about a half hour before Dr. Keith. The occultation shadow sweeps from west to east. Your watch will read about 2.5 hours earlier when time zones are considered. Good Luck.

Since I don't know your location precisely, here is what I calculate for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

19:08:32 PST - Immersion
19:48:45 PST - Maximum Occultation
20:27:11 PST - Emersion
 
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Fidelio said:
Thanks, it'll probably be raining here. Just my luck. But I have the 'scope ready.:)
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I've instructed the weather gods to cooperate. ;)

Here's what I predict for a location in Atlanta, Georgia.

22:57:09 EST - Immersion
23:25:22 EST - Maximum Occultation
23:52:18 EST - Emersion
 
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Here's a snippet from Jane Houston Jones transcript on March 1, 2017 from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California Institute of Technology:

On March 4 the first quarter moon passes between Earth and the star Aldebaran, temporarily blocking our view of the star. This is called an occultation. The occultation begins and concludes at different times, depending on where you are when you view it.

The event should be easy to see from most of the U.S., Mexico, most of Central America, the Western Caribbean and Bermuda. Observers along a narrow path from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Hartford, Connecticut, will see the moon "graze" the star. The star will disappear and reappear repeatedly as hills and valleys on the moon alternately obscure and reveal it.:)
 
ViewsofMars said:
Here's a snippet from Jane Houston Jones transcript on March 1, 2017 from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California Institute of Technology:

On March 4 the first quarter moon passes between Earth and the star Aldebaran, temporarily blocking our view of the star. This is called an occultation. The occultation begins and concludes at different times, depending on where you are when you view it.

The event should be easy to see from most of the U.S., Mexico, most of Central America, the Western Caribbean and Bermuda. Observers along a narrow path from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Hartford, Connecticut, will see the moon "graze" the star. The star will disappear and reappear repeatedly as hills and valleys on the moon alternately obscure and reveal it.:)
Click to expand...


Jane is a follower of my website. She asked permission to place a copy of one of my Saturn graphics on the wall of her office, which of course I granted. My minor quarrel here is with the use of the term "first quarter moon". Actually it's a waxing Half Moon, which is seen in the sky at about the same time as the end of the first quarter of a lunation when it is transitioning to the second quarter of a lunation. The Moon is in its first quarter of a lunation for about an entire week. Quarter does not refer to the shape of the sunlit portion of the Moon's apparent disk. The more proper term for the end of the first quarter of a lunation is eastern quadrature (90° from Sun), but calendar makers years ago corrupted the term causing people to wonder why on the posted date they see a Half Moon in the sky.
 
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NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center states:

When we observe: Observations are taken between New and 1st Quarter Moon and between Last Quarter and New Moon, when the solar illumination is between 10 and 55 percent. These conditions yield 10-12 observing nights per month.
:)

I will be honest with you, I really like NASA!
 
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