occultation

occultation
/ok'ul tay"sheuhn/, n.
1. Astron. the passage of one celestial body in front of another, thus hiding the other from view: applied esp. to the moon's coming between an observer and a star or planet.
2. disappearance from view or notice.
3. the act of blocking or hiding from view.
4. the resulting hidden or concealed state.
[1375-1425; late ME < L occultation- (s. of occultatio) a hiding, equiv. to occultat(us) (ptp. of occultare to conceal, keep something hidden, freq. of occulere; see OCCULT) + -ion- -ION]

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      complete obscuration of the light of an astronomical body, most commonly a star, by another astronomical body, such as a planet or a satellite. Hence, a total solar eclipse is the occultation of the Sun by the Moon. By carefully measuring the decrease in the intensity of some stars as they disappear behind the Moon, astronomers can determine their angular diameters and ascertain whether they are binary systems (a pair of stars in orbit around their common centre of gravity). Astronomers are able to determine the precise sizes and shapes of planets, asteroids, and satellites, in addition to the temperatures of planetary atmospheres, from occultations of stars. During a stellar occultation on March 10, 1977, astronomers unexpectedly discovered the rings of Uranus. Compare eclipse.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • occultation — [ ɔkyltasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1488; lat. occultatio 1 ♦ Astron. Disparition passagère (d un astre) par l interposition d un astre apparemment plus grand. ⇒ éclipse. Occultation d une étoile par la lune. 2 ♦ Action d occulter (une source lumineuse). 3 ♦… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Occultation — Oc cul*ta tion, n. [L. occultatio a hiding, fr. occultare, v. intens. of occulere: cf. F. occultation. See {Occult}.] 1. (Astron.) The hiding of a heavenly body from sight by the intervention of some other of the heavenly bodies; applied… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Occultation — etc., s. Okkultation etc …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • occultation — index obscuration Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • occultation — (n.) early 15c., disguise or concealment of identity, from L. occultationem (nom. occultatio), noun of action from pp. stem of occultare, frequentative of occulere (see OCCULT (Cf. occult)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • occultation — [äk΄ul tā′shən] n. [ME occultacioun < L occultatio, a hiding < occultus: see OCCULT] 1. the state of becoming hidden or of disappearing from view 2. Astron. the disappearance of a celestial body behind a closer, apparently larger celestial… …   English World dictionary

  • Occultation — See also: Occult (disambiguation) In this July 1997 still frame captured from video, the bright star Aldebaran has just reappeared on the dark limb of the waning crescent moon in this predawn occultation. An occultation is an event that occurs… …   Wikipedia

  • Occultation — Pour le concept musulman, voir Occultation (islam). Une occultation est un phénomène de recouvrement apparent d un élément par un autre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • occultation — (o kul ta sion ; en vers, de cinq syllabes) s. f. 1°   Terme d astronomie. Passage d une étoile ou d une planète derrière la lune qui la cache ; d un satellite derrière sa planète. L occultation des satellites de Jupiter. •   Il [Aristote] a vu… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • occultation — Eclipse E*clipse ([ e]*kl[i^]ps ), n. [F. [ e]clipse, L. eclipsis, fr. Gr. e kleipsis, prop., a forsaking, failing, fr. eklei pein to leave out, forsake; ek out + lei pein to leave. See {Ex }, and {Loan}.] 1. (Astron.) An interception or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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