occultation

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oc·cul·ta·tion

(ŏk′ŭl-tā′shən)

1. The act of occulting or the state of being occulted.

2. Astronomy

a. The passage of a celestial object across the line of sight between an observer and another celestial object, as when the moon moves between Earth and the sun in a solar eclipse.

b. The progressive blocking and unblocking of light or other electromagnetic radiation from a celestial source during such a passage: a lunar occultation of a quasar; a planetary occultation of a star.

c. An observational technique for determining the position or radiant structure of a celestial source undergoing such occultation or of the object causing the occultation.

3. Islam The temporary, supernatural removal of a holy person from visible existence, as Shiites believe is the case with the 12th imam.

[Middle English occultacion, from Latin occultātiō, occultātiōn-, from occultātus, past participle of occultāre, frequentative of occulere, to conceal; see occult.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

occultation

(ˌɒkʌlˈteɪʃən)

1. (Astronomy) the temporary disappearance of one celestial body as it moves out of sight behind another body

2. the act of occulting or the state of being occulted

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

oc•cul•ta•tion

(ˌɒk ʌlˈteɪ ʃən)

n.

1. the passage of one celestial body in front of another, thus hiding the other from view: applied esp. to the moon's coming between an observer and a star or planet.

2. the act of blocking or hiding from view.

3. the resulting hidden or concealed state.

[1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin occultātiō concealment]

oc·cul·ta·tion

(ŏk′ŭl-tā′shən)

The passage of a celestial object between an observer and another celestial object, blocking the second object from view. An occultation occurs when the moon moves between Earth and the sun in a solar eclipse.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

occultation

- One of its meanings is "the disappearance from view of a star or planet in the sun's rays after sunset or before sunrise, when the star or planet is above the horizon."

occultation

the process of one heavenly body disappearing behind another as viewed by an observer.

See also: Astronomy, Planets

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

occultation - one celestial body obscures another

eclipse

egress, emersion - (astronomy) the reappearance of a celestial body after an eclipse

ingress, immersion - (astronomy) the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse

break, interruption - some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"

solar eclipse - the moon interrupts light from the sun

lunar eclipse - the earth interrupts light shining on the moon

total eclipse - an eclipse as seen from a place where the eclipsed body is completely obscured

partial eclipse - an eclipse in which the eclipsed body is only partially obscured

Translations

occultation

References in classic literature ?

(and it could not have been insignificant), its period of occultation continued.

View in context

The broad occultation path covers the southern half of North America and all of Central America, but for those in the west, this is an evening twilight event.

Moon Occults Nu Geminorum

This phenomenon is known as stellar occultation, and a large team of astronomers and researchers are preparing their telescopes and cameras for those days.

Can You See A Kuiper Belt Object From Earth?

Occasionally, an asteroid may move in front of a star as seen from Earth, an event known as an occultation. Such an event is of great interest since the size and shape of the asteroid can then be measured.

Asteroids

Figure 1 shows the zone of the partial occultation in the British Isles.

The grazing occultation of Jupiter on 2012 July 15

Such occultation measurements provide a way of sensing the atmosphere's temperature.

A constellation of thermometers

4 If you'd like to learn how to time asteroid occultations, start by downloading the free ebook Chasing the Shadow: The IOTA Occultation Observer's Manual from Derek Breit's occultation page (poyntsource.com/IOTAmanual).

Asteroid Occultations

The most amazing view of the occultation will be from parts of north and northeastern U.S.

When To Watch Moon Occulting Aldebaran?

* (5038) Overbeek: Named for Michiel Daniel Overbeek (1920 Sep 15-2001 Jul 19), prolific variable star & occultation observer, ASSA President (1961 & 1999) and Gill Medalist (1984).

Asteroids

Three observers recorded the star disappear briefly for a few seconds, and then reappear, while one recorded a near-miss (no occultation).

Asteroidal occultation observed from the UK and Europe

The authors cite observations of the star's occultation made by other researchers from the University of Tasmania Observatory in Hobart, Australia, and from NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory.