Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2026 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

Ivelin Mihaylov

Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission probes 'Velichie' party in major property fraud case

Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating a large-scale property fraud and money laundering scheme connected to the 'Historical Park', which is associated with Ivelin Mihaylov, the leader of the Velichie party. Those arrested include the..

published on 11/26/25 2:30 PM
Boyko Borissov

Borissov cites EU defence adjustment to claim a 2026 deficit of 2.7%

The ruling party and the opposition argued about the procedure for the Budget Committee meeting before the final vote on the 2006 budget .  Assen Vassilev, chairman of the We Continue the Change party, attempted to block the committee’s extraordinary..

published on 11/26/25 2:15 PM

Agriculture and forestry workers protest for higher salaries

Employees in the agriculture and forestry sector staged a protest in front of the Parliament, demanding higher salaries for workers in departments that are secondary budget administrators. The protest was organized by the National Federation of..

published on 11/26/25 12:34 PM