How to Use occultation in a Sentence

occultation

noun
  • In some parts of the world, the moon will pass in front of the star in an event called an occultation.
    — Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026
  • What is an eclipse — or occultation?
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
  • This occultation will still be close to the horizon, near sunset.
    — Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Lunar coverups like this are called occultations.
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The occultation takes place just two days after the April 17 new moon.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Everyone inside the curved white path can see the occultation.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2022
  • The events, called occultations, happen when the object blocks out the star and casts a tiny shadow on Earth.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 10 Aug. 2017
  • This will favor people farther to the west, where the moon will be higher above the horizon at the time of the occultation.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2024
  • But one of the rings might manage an occultation that could be seen from California.
    — Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In some global regions, the moon will appear to eclipse Mars from view, an event known as a lunar occultation.
    — Li Cohen, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022
  • Researchers were able to capture an occultation and a transit of the planet and the star using Cheops.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 Sep. 2020
  • The occultation will last less than an hour, after which Regulus will reappear on the other side of the moon.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2026
  • For a full list of times for the occultation of Jupiter on May 17th from your location, jump here.
    — Michael D'estries, Treehugger, 1 May 2023
  • Exactly how long the occultation lasts will depend on the size of the star and asteroid, which are not precisely known.
    — Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Mars, which has been getting brighter in the night sky, will be briefly blocked out on Monday evening by the full moon — an event known as a lunar occultation.
    — Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Like in Ushuaia the moon will start the occultation about 15 degrees high and end it at about 9 degrees.
    — Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Known as the lunar occultation of Mars, the full moon will briefly obscure the Red Planet in the night sky.
    — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 7 Dec. 2022
  • This also isn’t the first time that Gaia has predicted an occultation event, either.
    — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 15 June 2022
  • The distance between the pair will narrow as the occultation approaches.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2025
  • An occultation occurs when one object — such as an asteroid or planet in our own solar system — passes in front of a star.
    — Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2019
  • The moon and Saturn will hang high enough in the sky here for stargazers to see the lunar occultation (when the moon passes in front of) the ringed planet.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2024
  • To view the occultation safely, place your telescope in the physical shadow of a building so the sun is completely blocked by the roofline.
    — Jules-Pierre Malartre, Space.com, 17 June 2026
  • Later on, Mars will disappear behind the Wolf Moon in an event known as an occultation.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Central Time, Apophis will move across the face of a distant star, creating what astronomers call an occultation.
    — Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2021
  • Let’s hope and pray for clear skies because this occultation will be one of the best celestial happenings in 2026!
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The event, known as a lunar occultation, occurs as the Red Planet appears bigger and brighter than usual.
    — Michael Roston, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
  • The occultation will happen at a different time, depending on the location of the viewer.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Because the moon is so close to Earth relative to Mars, only certain parts of the world will be able to witness tonight's occultation.
    — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 9 Feb. 2025
  • These eclipsing events, known as occultations, have allowed the mission scientists to better understand the true shape and size of the object.
    — Loren Grush, The Verge, 29 Aug. 2018
  • So, to observe them, astronomers rely on stellar occultations — moments when an object passes between them and a background star.
    — Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occultation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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