"If You Miss This, You'll Have to Wait 15 Years"...Venus Occultation After 9 Years

National Gwacheon Science Museum to Provide Live Commentary on YouTube from 1 PM on the 8th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Is it Artemis's jealousy of Venus's beauty? On the 8th at 9 PM, after 9 years, an 'occultation of Venus' by Artemis (the Moon goddess) will occur. If missed this time, it will happen again only after 15 years. Although it is broad daylight, it can be observed with the naked eye.

The Gwacheon National Science Museum announced on the 4th that it will broadcast live online the occultation of Venus by the Moon on the 8th. In astronomy, occultation refers to the phenomenon where a distant celestial body is obscured by a closer celestial body. Since the Moon is the only celestial body closer than Venus, the occultation of Venus means the Moon covers Venus.

The occultation of a planet by the Moon is rarely observable over a wide area and sometimes occurs during the day, making it very rare to be observed in specific regions. The most recent occultation of Venus observable in Korea was on August 14, 2012. The next time it can be seen will be on September 17, 2036.

Similar phenomena where one celestial body is obscured by another include transit and eclipse. Transit refers to a smaller celestial body passing in front of a larger distant celestial body, with the transit of Venus across the Sun being a representative example. Eclipse occurs when one celestial body is obscured by the shadow of another, such as solar and lunar eclipses. This occultation of Venus can only be observed in Korea, Japan, China, and parts of Russia.

The Gwacheon Science Museum will directly observe the occultation of Venus and broadcast it online with live commentary. The broadcast will be on the Gwacheon National Science Museum's YouTube channel from 1:00 PM to 2:20 PM on the 8th. Based on Seoul time, Venus will be covered by the Moon at 1:36 PM and will reappear around 2:06 PM, marking the end of the event.

If you have a telescope, you can observe the occultation directly. Since the Moon is brighter than Venus, find the Moon shortly before the occultation starts to observe it. People with good eyesight can also observe it with the naked eye, and using binoculars is also a good method.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.