Before dawn on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter for observers in parts of North and Central America and some locations in Africa. The event is not visible as an occultation everywhere: outside the path, the Moon and Jupiter will only appear close together. Check the prediction for your city, since the timing, altitude and visible portion of the event change by location.
What happens during the occultation?
A lunar occultation is an apparent cover-up: from the right place on Earth, the Moon passes in front of a more distant object. On October 6, that object is Jupiter. The Moon will be a waning crescent, about 20% illuminated according to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s 2026 observing highlights.
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The event is a sequence, not just a single moment when Jupiter disappears. Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons—Europa, Callisto, Io and Ganymede—also pass behind or emerge from the Moon. Sky & Telescope reports that Europa, Callisto and Io precede Jupiter into occultation, while Ganymede follows Jupiter by about 1.5 minutes. Jupiter itself takes roughly 60–70 seconds to disappear behind the lunar edge, with a similar interval for it to emerge, because it appears as a small disk rather than a point of light.
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Visibility depends on your location. Timeanddate’s event summary describes the occultation as visible from parts of North and Central America and some locations in Africa; elsewhere, the pair make a close approach without the Moon covering Jupiter. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s annual guide gives a broad North American outline: south-central and southeastern Canada, the United States except the Pacific States, and much of Mexico.
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That regional outline is not a guarantee for every town. Sky & Telescope’s event guide says much of eastern North America can see both Jupiter’s disappearance and reappearance before dawn. In the mountain states, the reappearance may be the only part above the horizon. In the Pacific Time Zone, the Moon and Jupiter may instead appear close together as they rise.
How to find your local contact times
There is no single clock time that applies to everyone. Use the International Occultation Timing Association’s special event city listing to find when Jupiter disappears and reappears at your location. The event’s height above your horizon and whether one or both phases occur in darkness also depend on where you are.
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Sky & Telescope’s example times below are local. Each pair gives disappearance and reappearance; the listed instant is when the Moon’s limb bisects Jupiter, with first contact roughly a minute earlier.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11| City | Disappearance | Reappearance |
|---|---|---|
| Halifax | 5:35:02 a.m. | 6:36:10 a.m. |
| Boston | 4:26:45 a.m. | 5:29:55 a.m. |
| Washington, D.C. | 4:20:32 a.m. | 5:24:29 a.m. |
| Miami | 4:20:48 a.m. | 5:09:02 a.m. |
These are city examples, not substitutes for a prediction at your own location. For the U.S. time-zone conversions Sky & Telescope gives, subtract four hours from Universal Time for EDT, five for CDT, six for MDT or seven for PDT.
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What observers in Virginia Beach can expect
A NASA-hosted Night Sky Network page for Back Bay Amateur Astronomers gives a local schedule for Virginia Beach: 4:14–5:27 a.m. EDT. It lists Europa’s first contact at 4:14 a.m., Jupiter’s first contact at 4:20 a.m., Jupiter beginning to emerge at 5:24 a.m. and fully visible at 5:26 a.m., followed by Ganymede emerging at 5:27 a.m. These are Virginia Beach circumstances only; use the city listing for other locations. The club’s observing event is weather permitting.
How to improve your chance of seeing it
- Face east and choose an open horizon. Buildings, trees and hills can block the low Moon. At the start of the occultation, Sky & Telescope gives the Moon’s altitude as 23° in Boston but only 4° in Kansas City, illustrating how much the viewing angle changes.
- Check weather and twilight. Clouds can hide the event, and local conditions determine whether Jupiter is still above the horizon—and whether it is dark enough—at each contact.
- Start watching before disappearance. The timing prediction marks the sequence’s contact points; beginning early gives you a chance to spot the approach and the Galilean moons. Jupiter’s reappearance from the darker lunar edge is a notable part of the view.
- Use optical help only if useful. Jupiter is bright, but the Moon’s illuminated edge can make it harder to pick out as it approaches. Sky & Telescope suggests binoculars if glare is a problem. They are optional, not a requirement; a telescope can provide a closer planetary view if you already own one.
Why the event is unusual for one location
Jupiter occultations occur on average about every 13 years for a particular location, according to Joe Rao in Sky & Telescope’s 2026 event guide. That is a location-specific average, not a global interval: the Moon’s apparent track means one place may see an occultation while another sees only a near approach.
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Observers interested in recording an event can note their location, contact times and conditions. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada describes Occult4 as a free Windows program and points readers to the International Occultation Timing Association’s prediction and observing resources; these are optional tools for more systematic observing.
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