Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria to witness Moon occult Saturn on 21 August

Photo: The Astronomical Observatory at the University of Sofia

Occasionally, the Moon occults a planet in the Solar System, and if that planet is one of the five brightest, the phenomenon can be observed with the naked eye or binoculars. On the morning of 21 August 2024, Bulgaria will witness the Moon occulting Saturn, an astronomical event in which the Moon passes directly in front of Saturn, temporarily obscuring it from view.

This was announced by Pencho Markishki, a physicist from the Institute of Astronomy of the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Astronomy of the Physics Faculty of Sofia University. For the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Sofia (in Sofia), the phenomenon will begin at around 06:42:12 on 21 August, and the moon will set at 08:26. 

For the Nicolaus Copernicus Observatory - Varna, the occultation will begin at around 06:44:42 and the moon will set at 08:06, the specialist said.

He advised amateur photographers to use an orange or red light filter to reduce the blue glow of the sky when trying to capture the phenomenon.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Representatives of businesses explaining their boycott

Businesses boycott discussion of budget 2026, describe it as “leftist”

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev cancelled the meeting, scheduled for today, of the National Tripartite Council on the draft budget for 2006 after, in an unprecedented move, businesses decided not to take..

published on 11/5/25 2:46 PM

EC puts forward plan for developing high-speed rail Bucharest-Sofia-Athens

The European Commission has presented a proposal for developing high-speed railway lines within the EU until 2040, linking the capitals in the EU, among them a direct link Bucharest-Sofia-Athens. According to the plan, using the trans-European..

published on 11/5/25 1:20 PM

President Radev vetoes changes to the Investment Promotion Act

President Rumen Radev has returned for a new discussion in parliament the adopted legal amendments, according to which the sale of assets of Russian company Lukoil in the country will take place after a decision of the Council of..

published on 11/5/25 11:43 AM