A rare astronomical event, the Lunar Occultation of Saturn, will be visible in Sri Lanka just after midnight on July 24, 2024.
The Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies announced that the event will begin at approximately 12:50 a.m. on July 25 and can be observed with the naked eye from around 12:40 a.m.
The institute also mentioned that using a telescope or binoculars will enhance the view of Saturn's disappearance and reappearance during the occultation.
In an occultation, one celestial body passes in front of another, blocking its view. In this case, the Moon will move in front of Saturn, obscuring it from view on Earth.
The Moon will hide Saturn for about one hour and twenty minutes, and this phenomenon will only be visible from certain regions on Earth. In Sri Lanka, the visibility time and duration will slightly vary by location.
The next lunar occultation of Saturn visible from Sri Lanka will occur on April 24, 2037.
