TORONTO – It’s not every day that a moon swallows up a planet.
But that’s just what it looks like in a video a photographer shot of Saturn — rings and all — disappearing behind our moon on Feb. 22.
Moon Saturn Occultation – 22 Feb 2014 from Colin Legg on Vimeo.
The event is called occultation. An occultation occurs when one celestial body — a moon, an asteroid, etc. — covers up another. Sometimes asteroids pass in front of stars, blinking them out for a brief second.
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These events are often much anticipated by astronomers and can even help them learn more about the bodies that are being occulted, or the moon itself. There is even an organization called the International Occultation Timing Society.
Colin Legg, the astronomer, recorded the event from Perth, Australia. Legg is a professional photographer specializing in timelapse.
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