On 5th February early morning, sky gazers across India will witness a rare celestial event of bright star Antares occulting the crescent Moon.
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent. Approaching new moon on 9th February 2024
Antares: Magnitude 1.05. Brightest star in Scorpius ( Alpha Scorpii)
RA: 16h29m20s Dec: 26o25’ S
Occultation Timeline:
| First Contact: | 04:45 am IST |
| Second Contact (Antares disappears): | 04:47 am IST |
| Third Contact (Antares emerges): | 05:52 am IST |
| Fourth Contact: | 05:55 am IST |
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Disappearance and Re-appearance of Antares |
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The event will be visible from all over India just before Sunrise. It is a binocular event. The disappearance is easy to spot as we see the Antares going behind Moon. Re-appearance will be a guess work and one has to rely on time only as the bright star will suddenly re-appear out of the dark side of Moon, out of no-where in the early morning sky.
Those who observe the event, note the timings of disappearance and re-appearance. Those who travel out of city, please note that the is star rich region and the belt of Milky Way is clearly seen.
Venus will be visible above the horizon and Mars will be near the horizon. If sky is good and you persist till 06:30 am, Mercury will be visible just near the horizon as well.
Field guide: Mercury just above horizon at 06:30 am.
Sky bulletin released by Khagol Mandal.
