The Moon will pass in front of Jupiter on Tuesday, October 6, hiding the planet from view in an event known as an occultation, according to Astronomy.com. The pairing will be visible in the morning sky before dawn, WTOP News reports.
Live Science describes the event as one that will not happen again for 11 years. Forbes calls it a total eclipse of Jupiter in its sky-watching coverage for the week, while Sky & Telescope urges observers not to miss what it calls a rare sight.
An occultation occurs when one celestial body passes in front of another from a viewer's perspective on Earth. In this case, the Moon moves between Earth and Jupiter, briefly blocking the planet from sight. Because the Moon and Jupiter follow different paths across the sky, such alignments are uncommon, which is why outlets are flagging the long gap before the next one.
The event has drawn attention from several astronomy and news outlets, with Astronomy.com, Live Science, Forbes, Sky & Telescope and WTOP News all publishing previews ahead of the date.
Observers hoping to catch the sight should plan to look up before dawn on October 6, when the Moon and Jupiter meet. Exact viewing times and how much of the event is visible will depend on location, so checking a local sky guide is worthwhile.
