Jordan Astronomical Society documents rare daytime occultation of Venus
14/09/2026 | 17:57:49
Amman, Sept. 14 (Petra) - The Jordan Astronomical Society (JAS) documented a rare lunar occultation of Venus on Monday from Al-Aluk mountains in Zarqa.
Field observations matched JAS's prior astronomical calculations, according to JAS President Ammar Sakaji. Venus began slipping behind the moon at around 12:47 p.m., fully disappearing by 12:49 p.m. The planet reappeared at 2:13 p.m. and emerged by 2:15 p.m.
The total occultation lasted approximately one hour and 24 minutes, with both the moon and Venus appearing in crescent phases. Sakaji noted that precise observations of such phenomena help astronomers validate theoretical calculations against real-world data.
Jordan will not witness another visible daytime occultation of Venus by the moon until January 10, 2032, which will be visible across parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
//Petra// HA