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Jupiter Occulted by the Moon

Posted by michael on from the photo-op dept.

flag burning writes "A rare and spectacular event will occur in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 7 when the brilliant planet Jupiter and three of its largest satellites pass behind Earth's Moon. Along the Eastern Seaboard, the Moon will be more than 20 degrees above the horizon when it covers Jupiter in the predawn hours."

27 comments

  1. "occulted"? by blackcoot · · Score: 2, Funny

    us computer vision folks refer to that as occlusion / occluding features / etc.

    guess it'd be nice if all the sciences spoke the same language (well, other than math)

    1. Re:"occulted"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      guess it'd be nice if all the sciences spoke the same language

      No kidding. I read that and my first thought was 'Stupid typo, they must mean occluded.', immediately followed by 'Maybe they *do* mean occulted, the stars may be right after all... I for one welcome our new Cthuloid overlords.'.

  2. Huh ? by noselasd · · Score: 4, Informative

    I could have sworn it should be "occluded", but ;

    occult Audio pronunciation of "occulted" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-klt, klt)
    adj.

    1. Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.
    2. Beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable.
    3. Available only to the initiate; secret: occult lore. See Synonyms at mysterious.
    4. Hidden from view; concealed.
    5.
    1. Medicine. Detectable only by microscopic examination or chemical analysis, as a minute blood sample.
    2. Not accompanied by readily detectable signs or symptoms: occult carcinoma.

    1. Re:Huh ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      "The Occult" == term used by Christians to describe hidden sects.

      Also "ocultar" == "to hide" in Spanish, so it makes perfect sense to me...

    2. Re:Huh ? by daeley · · Score: 1

      "The Occult" == term used by Christians to describe hidden sects.

      Don't Christians as a general rule want all sects to be hidden? ;)

      --
      I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  3. Spectacular? by CaptainCheese · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can't see how having jupiter hidden from view by the moon will be particularly "spectacular". I'm no astronomer, but I doubt they're too excited about this either - it's not of any astronomical significance beyond demonstrating that Keplerian motion of the planets is still happening.

    You can watch it, which makes it a spectacle on some level - a dot of light goes behind the moon then later it comes out from the other side - but that's only impressive when it's the Moon or the Earth obscuring the sun.,.

    --
    -- .sigs are a waste of data...turn them off...
    1. Re:Spectacular? by noselasd · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sure it is interresting,
      Now, you'll need a goat, a virgin, a sharpened blade,
      wait till ...

    2. Re:Spectacular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Exactly..

      Basically, a tiny little dot in the sky (which for most viewers is indistinguishable from a random star) and three of its largest satellites (which are completely invisible under normal circumstances) are temporarily covered by the moon as it orbits the earth. BFD. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often, though I guess on the astronomical scale, it's fairly common. (And by the way...what's up with the rest of Jupiter's satellites? Off somewhere for a nice dinner? Or are they occulted as well?)

      Now, in the "man bites dog" category, if the moon should ever be occulted by Jupiter (etc), that would qualify as "spectacular". Definitely wake me up for that one.

    3. Re:Spectacular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      a sharpened blade, a virgin and a goat?

      what's the knife for, encouraging the virgin?

    4. Re:Spectacular? by Desiderata · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, most astronomical occurences aren't very spectacular perse. The much hyped Venus transit? It was just a day of watching a black dot slowly move across the sun. But it's still interesting because it's a landmark and it gives us something tangible to look at with say... a nine-inch telescope. Gives amateurs something to do, something to stimulate discussion.
      Oh, and it probably happens only once in two hundred years or the like, as with most such phenomenon.

    5. Re:Spectacular? by fuzzybunny · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's a fascinating event, especially if you can make out the "ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS" stamped on it in big glowing letters.

      Oh wait, that's Jupiter's moon.

      --
      Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
    6. Re:Spectacular? by boojum.cat · · Score: 4, Funny
      I can't see how having jupiter hidden from view by the moon will be particularly "spectacular"
      That's because you didn't read the article carefully. It says
      the brilliant planet Jupiter and three of its largest satellites pass behind Earth's Moon
      The rest of the satellites, I assume, will pass in front.
      --
      Lost: one sig, witty, 120 chars, sentimental value. Reward offered.
    7. Re:Spectacular? by Phleg · · Score: 1

      It was just a day of watching a black dot slowly move across the sun. But it's still interesting because it's a landmark and it gives us something tangible to look at with say... a nine-inch telescope.

      You must have some balls to not only look directly into the Sun, but use a telescope, to boot.

      --
      No comment.
    8. Re:Spectacular? by Ayaress · · Score: 2, Informative

      Ganymede and Callisto are actually far enough away from Jupiter that they aren't always occluded with the planet. Ganymede is over 1,070,000 kilometers from Jupiter, and Callisto is 1,883,000 kilometers from Jupiter.

    9. Re:Spectacular? by ocularDeathRay · · Score: 0

      now THAT is funny.

      --
      Obama is a twitter sock puppet
    10. Re:Spectacular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...till the neighbors wake up, then kill the virgin, fuck the goat and...wait that's not right.

  4. quotation without reference! by trs9000 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    does it bother anyone else when submitters quote the article linked without citation?
    and without any original content either... now perhaps the submitter also wrote the article.
    but man. do some work! or give proper credit please

  5. At least post the time of the event UTC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At least post the time of the event UTC in the summary. No, I can't read the *(&%*&^% article, my ISP blocks Yahoo! for some reason I can't figure out. It's been blocked for months, in fact most search services except Google are blocked...

  6. Yawn. by AlexeiMachine · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wake me up when Jupiter passes in front of our moon.

  7. occultation visibility by OneOver137 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's a link with more information for those who are interested in the event.

    For those who aren't, it may not be visible to you anyway.

    1. Re:occultation visibility by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even for those who are, it isn't visisble.....

  8. doh by usernotfound · · Score: 0

    i think what we've been missing is that it's not a full moon, so the planet will seem to randomly appear from BESIDE the visible part of the moon...right??

    --
    You call it excessive, I call it ambitious.