<p>Yes - especially as the occultation does not have to occur on the bright side. Planets may also be occulted (see <a href="http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/planets/planets.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/planets/planets.htm</a>)</p>

<p>Incidentally the symbol is not originally Islamic. It was the flag of Constantinople when conquered by the Ottomans and then adopted by them. The Ottomans later became the Caliphs - the nominal leaders of the world's Sunni Muslims and so the flag was widely adopted across Islam.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-10T22:21:32.450Z
Are those visible magnitudes given in your link really valid as the Moon is about to occult them? Shouldn't the magnitude of Uranus for example, vary more depending on being occulted by a new Moon or a demilune (to use a fancy term)? I wonder if the Moon doesn't blind everything near it. Uranus is hard to see as it is with the naked eye. Could one really watch even Venus suddenly disappear behind the New Moon? Have you seen it happen? (And very interesting about the Byzantine flag!)
LocalFluff
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-11T18:41:03.977Z
Magnitude is not a measure of visibility/eye adaption, so the Lunar magnitude does not affect it. Sadly, while I have seen stellar occultations I have not seen planetary ones.
adrianmcmenamin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-10T21:35:11.507Z
2015-09-11T18:39:41.247Z
2015-09-11T18:39:41.247Z
adrianmcmenamin
<p>The Moon <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occultation#Occultations_by_the_Moon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">occults</a> a lot of stars. But are these events visible to the naked eye? Won't it be blinded out by the crescent even at its thinnest just before sunrise? Did ancient astronomers actually observe them, or did they deduce them theoretically according to orbital calculations? (I suppose occultation during an eclipse is both invisible and unlikely, right?)</p>

<p>Venus, the brightest planet, like the new Moon always stays near the horizon. But could one actually see even Venus disappear behind the lunar anti-crust? A popular medieval islamic symbol suggests to me that they were well aware of this phenomena. Both the Moon and Venus are still symbolically important in their culture. But was occultation directly visible or inferred?</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/6QKzs.jpg" alt="Photo (non-naked eye) of the Moon occulting Aldebaran"></p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OTVy9.png" alt="Ancient symbol for a lunar occultation (please disregard whatever it is interpreted to stand for today)"></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-18T17:40:41.247Z
@barrycarter But are they visible to the naked eye?
LocalFluff
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-12T10:30:27.877Z
People watch these things. Here's a prediction map for one next month: **Moon Occults Aldebaran - September 04-05** : http://www.curtrenz.com/occultations.html and http://www.curtrenz.com/occult05.html
Wayfaring Stranger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-12T13:12:19.657Z
Messed up, it's **Aldebaran 2015 OCT 02**. At least I didn't say Alderaan.
Wayfaring Stranger
<the-moon><venus><history>
Are lunar occultations visible to the naked eye?
LocalFluff
# Are lunar occultations visible to the naked eye?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-07-18)

The Moon [occults](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occultation#Occultations_by_the_Moon) a lot of stars. But are these events visible to the naked eye? Won't it be blinded out by the crescent even at its thinnest just before sunrise? Did ancient astronomers actually observe them, or did they deduce them theoretically according to orbital calculations? (I suppose occultation during an eclipse is both invisible and unlikely, right?)

Venus, the brightest planet, like the new Moon always stays near the horizon. But could one actually see even Venus disappear behind the lunar anti-crust? A popular medieval islamic symbol suggests to me that they were well aware of this phenomena. Both the Moon and Venus are still symbolically important in their culture. But was occultation directly visible or inferred?

![Photo (non-naked eye) of the Moon occulting Aldebaran](https://i.sstatic.net/6QKzs.jpg)

![Ancient symbol for a lunar occultation (please disregard whatever it is interpreted to stand for today)](https://i.sstatic.net/OTVy9.png)

**Tags:** the-moon, venus, history

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @barrycarter But are they visible to the naked eye?  
> **username_1**: People watch these things. Here's a prediction map for one next month: **Moon Occults Aldebaran - September 04-05** : http://www.curtrenz.com/occultations.html and http://www.curtrenz.com/occult05.html  
> **username_1**: Messed up, it's **Aldebaran 2015 OCT 02**. At least I didn't say Alderaan.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-09-10. Score: 2

Yes - especially as the occultation does not have to occur on the bright side. Planets may also be occulted (see <http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/planets/planets.htm>)

Incidentally the symbol is not originally Islamic. It was the flag of Constantinople when conquered by the Ottomans and then adopted by them. The Ottomans later became the Caliphs - the nominal leaders of the world's Sunni Muslims and so the flag was widely adopted across Islam.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Are those visible magnitudes given in your link really valid as the Moon is about to occult them? Shouldn't the magnitude of Uranus for example, vary more depending on being occulted by a new Moon or a demilune (to use a fancy term)? I wonder if the Moon doesn't blind everything near it. Uranus is hard to see as it is with the naked eye. Could one really watch even Venus suddenly disappear behind the New Moon? Have you seen it happen? (And very interesting about the Byzantine flag!)  
> **username_2**: Magnitude is not a measure of visibility/eye adaption, so the Lunar magnitude does not affect it. Sadly, while I have seen stellar occultations I have not seen planetary ones.  

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