Significant Celestial Events

One of these will occur tonight, Wednesday, February 18, in parts of North America, and on Thursday in Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the Pacific. For some people, this will be one of the best such events of their lifetime.

These events, technically known as occultations, but sometimes also called eclipses, happen a lot less often than once a month, but they’re not super-rare. However, not all occultations are equal. Inevitably, half of them happen during daylight. For Mercury and Venus in particular, even when the Sun has set, occultations usually take place when the planet is so close to the Sun that it is very hard to see, whether the Moon is blocking it or not.

That makes this event unusual. Mercury reaches its furthest distance from the Sun on February 19, so for those in the right spot, this is about as perfect an alignment as you will ever get for an occultation of the innermost planet.

www.iflscience.com

It’s not that rare for the Moon to pass in front of Mercury, but it seldom happens when it is this easy to watch.