Astrology

The moon will pass in front of Jupiter on November 3.

The moon will pass in front of Jupiter in the early hours of November 3, ETV Bharat reports, briefly hiding the planet from view. The event is a lunar occultation, an alignment in which the moon blocks another object from an observer's sight.

The occultation can be seen from Bengaluru and other parts of southern India, according to the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. The institute told The Hindu that observers elsewhere will see the moon pass very close to Jupiter instead.

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Jupiter disappears over Bengaluru#

In Bengaluru, the moon is expected to rise at about 1 a.m., with Jupiter following a few minutes later, ETV Bharat reports. The two will initially appear about one moon-diameter apart before drawing closer in the sky.

Jupiter is due to disappear at 2:30 a.m. behind the moon's bright lower edge and reappear at 3:03 a.m. from its darker upper side, according to ETV Bharat. As Jupiter starts to disappear, the moon will stand roughly 20 degrees above the horizon in the east.

According to the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, observing the reappearance would be easier because it occurs at the moon's dark side and higher above the horizon. The Hindu reports that the event can be seen without equipment, or with binoculars or a small telescope.

The alignment depends on location#

The apparent overlap is a geometric effect that changes with an observer's location, Ramanujam told ETV Bharat. The outlet reports that the moon and Jupiter will appear close together despite a distance of about 82 crore kilometres between them. The event has no physical impact on Earth, Ramanujam said.

Star Walk reports that the occultation may also be visible in parts of Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. In Australia, it says, the event occurs during daylight and will be harder to observe. The outlet describes Jupiter as a bright, steady point of light when seen without equipment.

Later in November, Jupiter, Mars, Regulus and the waning moon will appear within a circle 5.2 degrees across, according to Star Walk. The outlet says the gathering can be seen before dawn on November 30 or December 1, depending on location.

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