~ Article Credit: Sky & Telescope ~ Image Noeleen Lowndes
Image: First-magnitude it may be, but Regulus is only detectable at high magnification when it's next to a one-day-from-full Moon. This image is one of a sequence taken by Noeleen Lowndes during a Regulus occultation on the night of February 11-12, 2017, that was very similar to the one tonight. For more see "Regulus Versus a Bright Moon" in the February Sky & Telescope, page 48.
~ Regulus Versus a Bright Moon 2nd February 2026 ~
I was contacted by Bob King one of the contributing editors from Sky & Telescope and asked if he could use one of my images for his article on the upcoming celestial event where our Moon would occult Regulus on the 2nd February 2026.
I was more than happy and delighted that he would want to use my images of the same event that occurred here in Australia in February 2017. I remember being so excited in taking these images of the pretty star Regulus disappearing behind our huge Moon then after and hour it reappearing on the western limb.
Please find a link to my blog below of the event at:
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/-the-occultation-of-the-star-regulus-by-the-moon
Good luck and enjoy the event on the evening of the 2nd February; this time we here in Australia will not witness this special celestial event :-)
I was contacted by Bob King one of the contributing editors from Sky & Telescope and asked if he could use one of my images for his article on the upcoming celestial event where our Moon would occult Regulus on the 2nd February 2026.
I was more than happy and delighted that he would want to use my images of the same event that occurred here in Australia in February 2017. I remember being so excited in taking these images of the pretty star Regulus disappearing behind our huge Moon then after and hour it reappearing on the western limb.
Please find a link to my blog below of the event at:
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/-the-occultation-of-the-star-regulus-by-the-moon
Good luck and enjoy the event on the evening of the 2nd February; this time we here in Australia will not witness this special celestial event :-)
Credit: Sky & Telescope ~ Sky & Telescope ‘The Moon occults Regulus’ article ~
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observing-news/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-january-30-february-8/
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2
■ The Moon occults Regulus. This evening the Moon, barely past full, will pass in front of the 1st-magnitude star Regulus as seen from most of North America except the far West, Alaska, and the Gulf Coast.
The Moon will be only a day past full and 99% illuminated. Regulus will disappear on the Moon's bright sunlit limb, so you'll need a telescope to separate it from the brilliant lunar glare. The star will reappear up to an hour or more later from behind the very thin crescent of darkness along the Moon's other limb. Again you'll need a telescope.
For a sense of how faint Regulus really is compared to the Moon a day past full, below is part of a frame from Noeleen Lowndes's time lapse of the very similar Regulus occultation on February 11-12, 2017.
Both the star's disappearance and reappearance will happen with the Moon nicely high in the eastern sky for the East Coast, and lower in the east the farther west you are. In much of the Pacific time zone only the reappearance will happen after moonrise. The West Coast itself misses out entirely.
See map and timetables. The first two tables, with predictions for many locations, are long. The first table gives the times of the star's disappearance behind the Moon's bright edge; the second gives its reappearance out from behind the Moon's thin dark edge. Scroll to be sure you're using the correct table; watch for the new heading as you scroll down. The first two letters are the country name; CA is Canada, not California. The times are in UT (GMT) February 3rd. UT is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, 6 hours ahead of CST, 7 ahead of MST, and 8 ahead of PST.
For instance: Use the first table to see that for Minneapolis, Regulus disappears on the Moon's bright limb at 7:43 p.m. February 2nd CST, when the Moon is 11° high in the east (at azimuth 84°). The second table tells that Regulus reappears at 8:42 p.m. CST for Minneapolis, with the Moon now 21° high.
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observing-news/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-january-30-february-8/
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2
■ The Moon occults Regulus. This evening the Moon, barely past full, will pass in front of the 1st-magnitude star Regulus as seen from most of North America except the far West, Alaska, and the Gulf Coast.
The Moon will be only a day past full and 99% illuminated. Regulus will disappear on the Moon's bright sunlit limb, so you'll need a telescope to separate it from the brilliant lunar glare. The star will reappear up to an hour or more later from behind the very thin crescent of darkness along the Moon's other limb. Again you'll need a telescope.
For a sense of how faint Regulus really is compared to the Moon a day past full, below is part of a frame from Noeleen Lowndes's time lapse of the very similar Regulus occultation on February 11-12, 2017.
Both the star's disappearance and reappearance will happen with the Moon nicely high in the eastern sky for the East Coast, and lower in the east the farther west you are. In much of the Pacific time zone only the reappearance will happen after moonrise. The West Coast itself misses out entirely.
See map and timetables. The first two tables, with predictions for many locations, are long. The first table gives the times of the star's disappearance behind the Moon's bright edge; the second gives its reappearance out from behind the Moon's thin dark edge. Scroll to be sure you're using the correct table; watch for the new heading as you scroll down. The first two letters are the country name; CA is Canada, not California. The times are in UT (GMT) February 3rd. UT is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, 6 hours ahead of CST, 7 ahead of MST, and 8 ahead of PST.
For instance: Use the first table to see that for Minneapolis, Regulus disappears on the Moon's bright limb at 7:43 p.m. February 2nd CST, when the Moon is 11° high in the east (at azimuth 84°). The second table tells that Regulus reappears at 8:42 p.m. CST for Minneapolis, with the Moon now 21° high.
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