On August the 10, 2011, the 92% illuminated moon will occult the star Pi Sagittarii, respectively in the constellation of Sagittarius. Shining in the heavens at magnitude 2.88, Pi Sagittarii will occult for the eastern half of North America, so keep your hopes that no clouds or rain will block your view from this magnificent occultation! Although it is rather too bad that the moon is as bright as it is, remember how nice the new moon was for the occultation of Mars last July 27, nevertheless, this occultation should still be good despite the moon!
Pi Sagittarii occulted this past February 28, 2011 over Madagascar and the Indian ocean if you recall, and on June 17, 2011 it occulted over the USA. Finally, The moon has found its way back to this luminous threesome. π Sagittarii is 440 light years away and is a collection of three stars, although too far to distinguish by a telescope. Peculiar to note, π Sgr has a number of names, including Albaldah, 41 Sagittarii, HR 7264, HD 178524, SAO 187756, HIP 94141, and CCDM 19098-2101.
Because this star system has three components, it may dim due to eclipsing, so watch out for this. Starting over the Midwest US around 8:30 pm (CDT), the occultation will be seen throughout eastern America and some of Canada; ending at 10:30 EDT in Maine. Although the disappearance (the part everyone looks forward of seeing) has a smaller field of view than the reappearance, mind you that both events will be extremely hard to distinguish due to the moon's glow. "It's also very hard to make sure that you're looking at exactly the right place and time to see the star reappear," Sky&Telescope writes.
Upcoming Occultations:
16 Aug - Occultation of κ Psc - 5.0m - w Canada, w USA, Alaska, Hawaii
21 Aug - Occultation of δ Ari - 4.4m - USA, Canada
22 Aug - Occultation of 37 Tau - 3.0m - USA, Central America, n So America, Caribbeans
Pi Sagittarii occulted this past February 28, 2011 over Madagascar and the Indian ocean if you recall, and on June 17, 2011 it occulted over the USA. Finally, The moon has found its way back to this luminous threesome. π Sagittarii is 440 light years away and is a collection of three stars, although too far to distinguish by a telescope. Peculiar to note, π Sgr has a number of names, including Albaldah, 41 Sagittarii, HR 7264, HD 178524, SAO 187756, HIP 94141, and CCDM 19098-2101.
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| Visibility map for occultation. |
Because this star system has three components, it may dim due to eclipsing, so watch out for this. Starting over the Midwest US around 8:30 pm (CDT), the occultation will be seen throughout eastern America and some of Canada; ending at 10:30 EDT in Maine. Although the disappearance (the part everyone looks forward of seeing) has a smaller field of view than the reappearance, mind you that both events will be extremely hard to distinguish due to the moon's glow. "It's also very hard to make sure that you're looking at exactly the right place and time to see the star reappear," Sky&Telescope writes.
Upcoming Occultations:
16 Aug - Occultation of κ Psc - 5.0m - w Canada, w USA, Alaska, Hawaii
21 Aug - Occultation of δ Ari - 4.4m - USA, Canada
22 Aug - Occultation of 37 Tau - 3.0m - USA, Central America, n So America, Caribbeans
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