There’s a chance to catch the Moon passing through the northern portion of the Pleiades open star cluster on Tuesday 27 January, leading to several star occultations.
'Lunar occultation' is the astronomical term given to the effect of the Moon passing in front of a distant planet, star or other celestial body, from our perspective on Earth.
More astro advice
Because the Moon is so close to Earth, relative to the background stars, what you'll see very much depends on where you live on the planet.
Some regions, like in North America, for example, will see the Moon pass close to the Pleiades, but from the UK and Europe, we'll get to see the Moon pass in front of some of the stars of the cluster.
Observing the lunar occultation
On 27 January 2026, the Moon will be a 68%-lit waxing gibbous. That's too bright to allow the Pleiades to be easily seen with the naked eye, so using binoculars is recommended.
The lunar occultation of the Pleiades begins shortly after the sky has darkened, with the Moon appearing to skirt the very northern part of the cluster.
As this involves a waxing Moon, stars will disappear behind the Moon’s dark limb and reappear from behind the bright one.
The star Taygeta (19 Tauri) and the pair Sterope and Asterope (21 and 22 Tauri) are definitely in the Moon’s path as seen from the UK, but for Celano (16 Tauri) and Maia (20 Tauri), it depends where you live.
Further north in the UK, the Moon’s apparent position appears to shift southwards relative to the cluster’s stars.
Some locations will get to see a grazing occultation of Celano and Maia, where the Moon’s rugged edge appears to pass in front of them.
As a result, these stars will appear to blink as they pass behind high- and low-elevation features on the Moon’s edge.
If you manage to see or photograph the lunar occultation – or close meeting – of the Pleiades and the Moon on 27 January 2026, share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagzine.com
