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Moon Hides Pleiades Stars: A Celestial Disappearing Act
26 Jan
Summary
- The moon will temporarily obscure bright Pleiades stars on January 27th.
- The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are a young star cluster 440 light years away.
- This lunar occultation event will last for approximately one hour.
On the night of January 27th, an astronomical event will captivate skygazers as the moon passes in front of the Pleiades star cluster. This celestial phenomenon, known as an occultation, will temporarily hide some of the Pleiades' brightest stars from view for approximately one hour.
The Pleiades, also recognized as the Seven Sisters, are located about 440 light years away in the Taurus constellation. These stars, all born from a single gas cloud, are a relatively young stellar community, only 100 million years old.
Viewers are advised to prepare for a viewing period of an hour or two. The moon's dark side will face its direction of motion, allowing stars to visibly disappear and then reappear an hour later from behind the moon's opposite side. Localized viewing times may vary slightly.
