Amazing Phenomena Occultation Every 40 years Cycle Venus was eclipsed by the crescent moon

Occultation: Venus appears on the other side of the moon having just been eclipsed by the satellite

The stunning moment Venus peeps out from behind crescent Moon after eclipse.
A rare celestial show unfolded this evening as Venus was eclipsed by the crescent Moon. Known to astronomers as planetary occultation, the phenomenon was observed in the twilight sky when the Moon came between Venus and the Earth.

An occultation is an event that happens when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. Venus eclipses are rare and occur only when the Earth, Moon and Venus are in alignment with one another.

During spring time, Venus shines brightly, and as these photos show, Venus appears as a bright object before it disappears behind the moon and then reappears on the other side in a game of celestial hide-and-seek.

Celestial show: Venus eclipses are rare and occur only when the Earth, Moon and Venus are in alignment with one another

'The show begins at sunset when Venus and the moon emerge from the twilight in close proximity to one another,' NASA said in a public advisory.

'The Moon will be exquisitely slender, a five per cent crescent on Saturday, and a slightly fatter 10 per cent crescent on Sunday.

'Between the horns of the crescent, a ghostly image of the full Moon can be seen. That's Earthshine, the light of our own planet reflected back toward us by the Moon's dark terrain.

'In conjunction with Venus, a crescent Moon with Earthshine is regarded as one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens.'

The next time Venus passes between us and the Sun will be on 5 June 2012, when it will actually pass directly in front of the Sun as seen from the Earth, in what is called a transit. Venus is gradually getting nearer to the Earth. This week it will be 1.4 astronomical units distant, which is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun (about 93 million miles).

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