Now You See It, Now You Don’t! The Moon Swallows Jupiter Today
Quick Summary
Today, the Moon is sliding right in front of Jupiter and hiding it from view. This rare sky event happens during the daytime and is visible across much of North America. It is the first time this has happened since May 2023.
What Happened?
Today is a very special day for sky watchers. The Moon is passing directly in front of Jupiter in a rare event called a lunar occultation. Occult means to cover something up or hide it. That is exactly what the Moon is doing — covering Jupiter so we cannot see it for a while.
Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. It is so large that more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it. Yet today, our much-closer Moon will block it completely from view.
The Moon starts to cover Jupiter in the early afternoon. The cover-up lasts about 50 to 57 minutes, depending on where you are watching from. Then Jupiter pops back out from behind the Moon’s dark edge.
This event is happening in the daytime, which makes it tricky to see with your eyes alone. Binoculars or a small telescope will help a lot. Just make sure you never point them near the Sun — looking at the unshielded Sun can seriously hurt your eyes. The Moon and Jupiter will be well off to the side of the Sun, so use your Moon as a guide.
Where can you watch? The full occultation is visible from much of eastern North America, Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Caribbean islands, and eastern Russia. If you live farther west, you may still catch Jupiter and the Moon sitting very close together in the sky — which looks beautiful all on its own.
Why Does It Matter?
Lunar occultations of bright planets do not happen every week. This is the first time the Moon has covered Jupiter since May 2023 — more than three years ago! It also kicks off a whole series of Jupiter occultations that will continue into 2027.
For scientists, occultations can give precise measurements of exactly where objects are in the sky. For the rest of us, it is just a wonderful reminder that the sky is always moving and always putting on a show — even in the middle of a regular Tuesday afternoon.
Big Words
- Lunar occultation — when the Moon passes in front of another object in the sky and hides it from view
- Jupiter — the largest planet in our solar system, a giant ball of gas with colorful stripes and powerful storms
- Conjunction — when two space objects appear very close together in our sky, even if they are far apart in space
- Limb — the edge of the Moon or a planet as seen from Earth
- Binoculars — a handheld tool with two small telescopes side by side that makes faraway things look much closer
Fun Fact
Jupiter is so big and bright that on clear nights it is one of the brightest objects in the sky — even in daytime, if you know exactly where to look! Ancient astronomers called it the king of the planets.
Think About It
The Moon is about 239,000 miles away from Earth. Jupiter is about 400 million miles away right now. How can something so much closer be so big that it hides something so enormous?
Sources
- Space.com — The moon will hide Jupiter in broad daylight on Sept. 8 — here’s how to see it
- StarWalk / Starlust.org — Moon to occult Jupiter in daylight on September 8: When and how to watch
- In-The-Sky.org — Lunar occultation of Jupiter, 8 September 2026
- Astronomy Club of Asheville — Daytime Lunar Occultation of Jupiter, September 2026