Rare Daytime Occultation of Planet Venus by Moon: View from California

Rare Daytime Occultation of Planet Venus by Moon: View from California

Astrophotographer David Pinsky: "This Wednesday, June 17th, 2026, you may wish to do something unusual. Go outside under the blue sky and stand in the shadow of a building. This is the best place to see the daylight occultation of Venus. Occultation refers to the process where a celestial body, such as a star or planet, temporarily obscures another body, allowing astronomers to study its properties."

"Can you really see this during the day?"

"You can! For the first time in 11 years, the crescent Moon will pass in front of Venus in broad daylight over the USA, both well separated from the Sun. The bright planet will disappear behind the Moon's dark edge and reappear about an hour later. Scan the blue sky with binoculars until you find the Moon's pale crescent. Once located, you'll discover the Moon and Venus are surprisingly easy to see with the naked eye. A smartphone camera zoomed and pointed in the right direction will have no trouble recording the scene."

Warning: Never point your optics at the Sun.

California is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. 

Image Credit: David Pinsky

Text Credit: SpaceWeather[dot]com
Location: West Hollywood, California, USA
Image Details: Canon Rebel T3i, Celestron 5 inch Maksutov at prime focus at 1/40 sec, ISO 100
Release Date: Dec. 7, 2015

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