Thrilling experience of watching a Lunar occultation of Venus

✪ Venus disappearing behind Moon and reappearing after some time
✪ Disappearing in a flash and also later on reappearing in a flash!
✪ Meditative experience- as if it was all dark and suddenly it was all light
✪ Watching Venus is possible even during daytime
✪ Wonders of sky make us humble


Hello. Our sky is a magic box and it has so many wonders. Whenever we look at the sky in a night, we get thrilled by its wonders. Here I would like to share one such thrilling experience and it was unique in that it was a daytime experience. During daytime, we can observe Moon and also sunspots by using solar filters. But we can also observe bright planets such as Venus and Jupiter in daytime. This lunar occultation of Venus (meaning light from Venus was obstructed by Moon for some time- i.e. Venus disappeared behind Moon for some time and then reappeared) had taken place on 24th March this year. But I could not write about it till now. So sharing this.

This event took place on evening of 24th March 2023. The sky was clear. The moon phase was in the waxing crescent phase- 3 days old. So when I went on my terrace to observe this, firstly I had to locate the Moon. I took help from some shadow of a wall and then tried to locate the Moon in the west side sky, just below the zenith. It took some minutes and some help from the shadow to locate the Moon! Even for this I had to take help of my binocular and then I could find the Moon. Once the eyes were used to day time sky brightness, I could also spot it with my eyes. A little 13% crescent moon it was. But interestingly, with binoculars, I could immediately spot the Venus. Interestingly, Venus was more bright than the Moon. Maybe as its angular area is much smaller than the Moon. 

At sharp 4:05 pm, the Venus disappeared behind the dark side of the Moon in a flash! It was there and within a fraction of second it was gone. Due to very bright daytime sky, it was difficult to take a photograph. Even merely observing through the binocular was difficult. As the reappearance was at 5:45 pm, I took a break.

My video of a Lunar occultation of Mars- Mars is seen “rising” on the Moon.

Then again little before 5:45, I went to the terrace. Although sunset was approaching in some time, the sky was still equally bright. I still had to use another shadow to see the Moon. I started observing the Moon through my binocular and again at the given time, Venus reappeared in a flash! It was a great experience! It was as if there was all darkness and suddenly light arrived. This time also, Venus was looking more bright than the Moon. After a few minutes now I could also observe Venus with the naked eyes. In the bright blue sky, it looked like a sharp yellow dot. Sometimes I missed it again, but due to vicinity of the Moon, I could find it again. When Venus is near Earth and is in crescent phase, its brightness is so high that it can be spotted in daytime also. But one needs to take care to avoid sunlight and also to know exact position. On this occasion, the Moon made it much easier.

Bright planets like Venus and Jupiter can also be observed in daytime. And you may not believe, but they also cast shadows in ideal dark conditions. Even during the World War II, soldiers had fired on the direction of Venus supposing that it was some misleading object thrown by their enemy! Sky has so many wonders and all these wonders make us humble. They help us realize how small and feeble we are. Now after the rainy season is over, we again have good season of sky watching. My sky watching sessions also will start soon. So happy sky watching to all. You can share this article with your friends and interested children. Thank you.

(My articles about sky watching, Himalaya trekking, meditation, cycling, running and other topics are available on above blog. Niranjan Welankar 09422108376 niranjanwelankar@gmail.com Contact me for updates about fitness, meditation, trekking, fun- learn sessions and sky watching sessions and also for conducting at such a session in your place. Thank you.)