occultation
[ ok-uhl-tey-shuh n ]
/ ˌɒk ʌlˈteɪ ʃən /
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.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
blind, hideaway, covering, mask, privacy, cover, camouflage, disguise, secretion, front, curtain, obliteration, veil, cover-up, beard, laundromat, dissimulation, decline, shroud
Nearby words
- occult,
- occult balance,
- occult blood,
- occult fracture,
- occult hydrocephalus,
- occulting light,
- occultism,
- occultist,
- occupancy,
- occupant
Origin of occultation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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
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occultation
early 15c., "disguise or concealment of identity," from Latin occultationem (nominative occultatio), noun of action from past participle stem of occultare "to hide, conceal," frequentative of occulere (see occult).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.