The Moon "swallowed" Saturn: photos, videos and impressions of the incredible space show are shared online

The last few days have presented astrophiles with several interesting scenes to observe. The crescent moon shone beautifully between the dazzling Venus and the cosmic Lord of the Rings.

However, the highlight of this weekend was the lunar occultation of Saturn. The incredible show could be seen from Europe, Africa, and East Greenland, EarthSky writes.

According to astronomers, on the eve of Saturn's occultation, a parade of several space objects could be observed. "The perfect alignment of the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter," astronomer James captioned a Picabuzz photo on the X network.

On January 4, the Moon passed in front of Saturn, creating a space eclipse. The ringed planet was very bright that night, so its conjunction with our satellite could be seen with the naked eye, scientists said.

However, those who had the opportunity to observe this eclipse through binoculars or a telescope could clearly see Saturn as it touches the edge of the Moon. They could also see lunar craters and rings and satellites of Saturn.

Astronomers noted that on January 4, the Earth's satellite was a waxing crescent with about 19% illumination. And all night long, the Moon and Saturn were close to each other. However, at some point, the Lord of the Rings disappeared behind the unlit part of the satellite, creating an incredible show for observers.

Astronomy enthusiasts, scientists and photographers shared their photos and impressions of the eclipse on social media.

"It was fun to shoot," Anton, who is fond of astronomy, wrote on the X network.

"If you observe this phenomenon with the naked eye, you will notice that Saturn will not disappear behind the edge of the Moon immediately, but will gradually dim, which is determined by its angular diameter," said photographer Pavlo Gabzdil under the published photo.

"Nature gave me a birthday present and chased away the clouds so that I could capture the nighttime occultation of Saturn by the Moon," Marcin Kopij said on the Science & Astronomy Facebook page.

"I didn't want to miss Saturday's eclipse of Saturn. So I went to Tarragona, Spain," astrophotographer Thierry Legault captioned the incredible photo.

The next eclipse will take place in February, but it will be visible only from the extreme northern latitudes and eastern Asia. And the next clearly visible closure of Saturn will be observed in 2037.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!