Occultation of Regulus on February 2 (February, 2018)

Let’s Observe the Sight of the Moon Concealing Regulus!

In the dawn of February 2, the Moon hides the 1st magnitude star Regulus in the constellation Leo, causing an “Occultation of Regulus.” The phenomenon where a star is concealed by the Moon is called an “occultation.” It is very interesting to watch the moment of “disappearance” when Regulus suddenly vanishes behind the dark edge of the Moon, and the moment of “reappearance” when Regulus emerges from behind the bright edge of the Moon. You can clearly see it disappear and reappear with a telescope, binoculars, or camera with a telescope lens. Also, for those of you who are good at taking movies, it might be interesting to take a movie.

This time, Regulus gets covered by the bright Moon, having passed full phase. The Moon is too bright, so it might be difficult to watch with your naked eye. Please look for Regulus before the occultation occurs, when Regulus is still far away from the Moon. Let's observe the occultation of Regulus with binoculars or a telescope using the figure above.

Unfortunately, as seen from around the Nagoya City region and areas further west, the Moon does not conceal Regulus. However, it will be interesting to observe Regulus passing close to the Moon.

The times for the disappearance and reappearance differ from place to place. Here are the predicted times, and the altitudes of the occultation of Regulus at major locations in Japan.