The moon will black out Saturn, the planet with a ring, on Wednesday, 14 May 2014 and the phenomenon will be best visible from the Southern Hemisphere. This celestial event known as occultation will begin at 6:15 a.m. EDT (10:15 a.m GMT or 3:45 p.m. IST).
Occultation occurs when an object passes in front of another object and blocks it from observers. The moon will pass in front of or occult the Saturn on Wednesday, blocking the ring planet from the observers' view back on Earth.
Saturn was closest to the Earth on 10 May, when the Earth passed between the sun and Saturn. The full moon of May also called Full Flower Moon, will occur on Wednesday. North America won't be able to view the full moon, which will occur approximately 3:16 p.m. EDT, according to Earth Sky.
Australia and New Zealand will be able to view the occultation as the moon passes in front of the Saturn early morning of Wednesday. Residents of these countries can view the occultation with naked eye but a telescope or binocular will allow observers to view the rings of Saturn.
Unlike some of the brightest stars in the sky, Saturn will shine as yellowish-white star on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Saturn was about 5.5 degrees to the lower left of the Earth's natural satellite. The moon moved toward Saturn at its own visible width during the night. On Wednesday 14 May, the moon and Saturn will be low in the west-southwest, the moon having moved to within 2.5 degrees to the lower right of Saturn, according to SPACE.com.
Observers who cannot view the occultation, will be able to see it through the Virtual Telescope Project that will webcast the phenomenon live. The Saturn occultation webcast will be hosted by Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy.
"I'm pleased to confirm this amazing occultation live feed, via the Virtual Telescope Project, thanks to a few observers in Australia," Space.com quoted Masi.
Check here for the live coverage as moon occults the Saturn
