As the moon makes its monthly circuit around the sky it often passes in front of stars, blotting them out for as much as an hour or so. Such an occultation can be a startling spectacle, especially if the star is bright. The star appears to creep up to the moon's limb, hang on the edge for a minute or two, and then, without warning, wink out. Later it flashes back into view just as suddenly on the moon's other side.

The suddenness with which occultations take place was one of the first proofs that the moon has no atmosphere. If our satellite were surrounded by a blanket of air, a star approaching its limb would fade gradually, like one seen setting on Earth.

An excellent occultation will happen on Saturday evening, June 6 for most of the United States and a portion of south-central Canada.

The ruddy 1st-magnitude star Antares will be covered by a moon only about 16-hours from the moon's full phase. For naked-eye viewers the moon's glare will seriously hinder the visibility of Antares, so block as much of the moon as you can with a finger or the edge of a building. See viewing times and details below.

Binoculars should pull the star in well, and a small telescope will afford a superb view.
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This report was excerpted from a column which appeared Space.com. The complete article can be seen here.

Tags: moon, occultations, antares