Moon Occults Pleiades (M45) Feb 5th 2025
First Quarter Moon occults Pleiades (M45).
This is a great chance to see the Pleiades cluster stars disappear behind the moon. Use a telescope for a closer view. We prepared a video to describe this event, what to expect and how to observe.
For about 2 hours on Wednesday evening, Feb 5th 2025, around midnight, the first quarter moon will pass in front of the Pleiades stars. An occultation by the moon means the stars will vanish behind it. In the video we explain this phenomenon, what it looks like, and how to prepare and observe it.
Tomorrow night, the moon will be at its first quarter, halfway between New Moon and Full Moon. At New Moon, the moon is dark and near the sun in the sky, and unseen during the day. At Full Moon, it is opposite the sun, fully lit at night. During the first quarter, we see a half-lit moon, with the east side in shadow and the west side illuminated.
The stars of the Pleiades will disappear on the Dark side. We can watch the Pleiades stars vanish behind the moon.
The Pleiades, also called the Seven Sisters or Messier 45 (M45), is an open star cluster in Taurus. Located about 444 light-years away, it’s one of the closest star clusters to Earth and the nearest Messier object. It contains young B-type stars and is easily visible to the naked eye. The reflection nebula NGC 1432 is also found here.
As this star cluster lies close to the plane of the ecliptic it is often occulted by the Moon and other planetary objects orbiting in the sky.
I have often watched when this happens, when the weather conditions permit it and it is above the horizon when it occurs. This may happen tomorrow, we shall see.
I often watch this when weather permits and it’s visible. That combination might happen tomorrow; let’s see, hope for clear sky to the west where the moon will be around midnight.
I created an animation with Stellarium software, which you can download on your computer or mobile device.
Resources/Links:
M45 – https://rogernelson.ca/portfolio-item/m45-pleiades/
M45 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades
Also visit here for this month’s events https://www.astronomicus.ca/2025/01/17/february-2025-events-to-explore/
About the Author: More information can be found:
www.rogernelson.ca Roger Nelson Astronomy
www.astronomicus.ca Astronomicus – All things Astronomical
Stellarium Software can be downloaded here: https://stellarium.org/ or from your app store for your mobile device.