This is the first time I heard that the stars can be observed during the day! On the 27th, let's enjoy the fairy tale of the stars and the moon together

Original title: A "starry fairy tale" during the day: the moon occults Venus at noon on the 27th

Can we see stars during the day? The answer is yes. According to astronomical science experts, around 12 noon on May 27, there will be a daytime occultation of Venus by the moon. At that time, people in some southeastern coastal areas of my country will be able to see the moon "passing" in front of Venus, completely blocking Venus, while people in northern my country will be able to see Venus accompanying the moon.

Normally, Venus is the brightest celestial body in the sky besides the Sun and the Moon, so the lunar occultation of Venus is very valuable for viewing in the "occultation" astronomical phenomenon.

1989 Lunar Occultation of Venus

The lunar occultation of Venus is when the moon moves between the earth and Venus, and the three are in a straight line. At that time, the moon will "pass by" in front of Venus. Since the apparent diameter of the moon is much larger than the apparent diameter of Venus, it will completely block Venus when "passing by". Venus will completely "disappear" in a very short time, and then reappear quickly after a while.

There was a daytime occultation of Venus by the moon at noon on November 8, 2021, but it was only visible in Northeast my country. "Last year, the moon occulted Venus at a crescent phase, and because it happened in winter, the altitude was very low. This year, the moon phase is a waning moon, and it happens in summer, when the altitude is high, which is a positive side, but the moon phase is smaller and closer to the sun, making it more difficult to observe," said Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society.

Specifically, when the moon occults Venus during the day, the center of the occultation belt mainly passes through the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Parts of South my country and East China are also within the occultation belt. It can be seen in Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, southern Hunan and other places, while other areas can see Venus "passing by" the moon.

"Because the sky is very bright, it is very difficult to observe the occultation of Venus by the naked eye. Binoculars or a small astronomical telescope are needed. It would be even better if there is an equatorial mount that can automatically find stars. In the telescope, the waning moon seems to be there and not there against the background of the blue sky, while Venus is slightly brighter. Since both Venus and the moon are brighter than the sky against the blue sky, the occultation of Venus can be appreciated during the day with a telescope or a camera's telephoto lens. We can also notice that both the moon and Venus have phases, and during the eclipse, they are 'thin moon and fat Venus', forming a sharp contrast. It should be noted that you must be very careful to avoid the sun when observing, otherwise it is easy to cause eye damage and damage to observation instruments." Xiu Lipeng said.

"Although Venus accompanying the moon is not a very rare astronomical phenomenon, due to the high brightness of Venus and the moon, this 'star and moon fairy tale' is still worth seeing, especially this time it happened during the day, which is definitely worth appreciating," said Xiu Lipeng.