Saturn Vanishes Behind the Moon: A Rare Celestial Hide‑and‑Seek
Saturn disappeared from view when the Moon moved in front of it in early 2025, a phenomenon called an occultation.
Saturn disappeared from view when the Moon moved in front of it in early 2025, a phenomenon called an occultation. The event was only visible from a narrow strip of Earth that stretched from Greenland through central Europe to northern Africa, so most observers missed the brief eclipse. The image that accompanies the APOD is a digital fusion of three separate shots taken from Sardinia, Italy, after sunset.
By layering a clear view of Saturn, a short‑exposure image of the Moon, and a longer‑exposure capture of the Moon, the astronomers produced a single frame that shows Saturn before it vanished and the Moon’s silhouette afterward. A bright dot near Saturn is not one of its moons; it is the star 85 Aquarii, which lies farther behind Saturn than the Moon does.
This detail reminds viewers that not every point of light in the sky is a planet’s satellite. The next time the Moon will pass in front of Saturn, visible from some parts of Earth, will occur in 2031. Keep an eye on the sky that year to witness the same dramatic disappearance again.
The story so far
Earlier coverage connected by shared names and topics. Follow the dates to see how coverage developed; these links do not imply every article describes the same event.
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Original publication: 10 November 2026 10:35
