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The moon hides Jupiter in spectacular photographs of October's lunar occultation
See the best photos of the Oct. 6 lunar occultation of Jupiter.
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Millions of stargazers saw Jupiter vanish from the night sky on Tuesday (Oct. 6) as the moon's slender crescent passed directly in front of the gas giant in a spectacular display of orbital mechanics.
The full occultation was visible across a swath of North America, Western Africa and the Atlantic Ocean, where the moon passed directly between Jupiter and the observer.
Countless others outside of the path of occultation saw the 20%-lit moon shine just a few degrees away from Jupiter thanks to the parallax effect, which causes nearby celestial objects to appear in a subtly different location based on the viewer's location on Earth. (Reminder: Your clenched fist held at arm's length covers about 10 degrees of sky.)
Read on to see our favorite photos of the Oct. 6 lunar occultation.
Peter Zay captured this beautiful image of Jupiter shining in the skies over North Carolina shortly before the gas giant slipped out of sight behind the lunar crescent.
"Astrophotography is unforgiving," Zay told Space.com in an email. "As a photojournalist, I don’t use techniques like composite[s] of various exposures. I stay true to authentic captures. I regularly photograph the Moon, its phases, solar and lunar eclipses, etc. Planning is key: gear, weather, location, and timing. But still, it’s hard, the very nature asks optical capabilities to be pushed to their limits."
Zay also snapped Jupiter as it emerged from behind the night side of the moon, while fine-tuning his camera to reveal a different aspect of the stunning occultation.
"I knew that success meant balancing the luminance of the Moon's sunlit surface and of Jupiter's four moons. The exposure that is proper for the Moon's sunlit 20% would not reveal Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto," continued Zay. "My photograph captures lunar craters, earthshine, and stars sprinkled in the background. My geographical position put Jupiter and its moons perfectly in the middle as it egressed the shadowed side of the Moon. Who could ask for more?"