Lunar Occultations in the Night Sky

Your July Night Sky Forecast has arrived! This month, we’ll witness not one, but two lunar occulations. Occulations are like mini-eclipses, when a celestial object passes in front of a bright star or planet. In this case, the Moon will be passing in front of two stars. First, on July 13, the Moon will pass in front of the star Spica in the constellation Virgo, and this will be visible in the mid-evening in the United States and Mexico. Then, on July 17, those in southern Africa will be able to view the Moon passing in front of the red star Antares in the constellation Scorpio in the evening. Grab a telescope and see if you can catch either of these stars disappearing or reappearing!