This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
occultation
[ ok-uhl-tey-shuhn ]
/ ˌɒk ʌlˈteɪ ʃən /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
Astronomy. the passage of one celestial body in front of another, thus hiding the other from view: applied especially to the moon's coming between an observer and a star or planet.
disappearance from view or notice.
the act of blocking or hiding from view.
the resulting hidden or concealed state.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of occultation
OTHER WORDS FROM occultation
pre·oc·cul·ta·tion, nounWords nearby occultation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use occultation in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for occultation
occultation
/ (ˌɒkʌlˈteɪʃən) /
noun
the temporary disappearance of one celestial body as it moves out of sight behind another body
the act of occulting or the state of being occulted
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for occultation
occultation
[ ŏk′ŭl-tā′shən ]
The passage of one celestial object in front of another, temporarily blocking the more distant object from view. Occultations can provide information about the existence and measurements of the obscuring object. For example, when an asteroid passes in front of a star, the star is temporarily obscured to an observer on Earth, thus revealing the presence and approximate size of the asteroid. In 1977, astronomers were able to identify the rings around the planet Uranus when the otherwise invisible rings were observed to occult a background star. Occultations have also led to the discovery of more distant objects in space, such as binary stars and extrasolar planets. Compare transit.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.