Key Facts

In the early hours of Tuesday, 3 November 2026, the Moon will pass in front of Jupiter, hiding the giant planet for a few minutes, a rare event known as an occultation. It can be observed from Bengaluru and other parts of south India at around 2.30 a.m. with the naked eye or binoculars, and is best seen with a telescope.

GK Context

An occultation occurs when one celestial body passes in front of another as seen from Earth, hiding it from view, whereas an eclipse involves the Sun, Moon and Earth falling in line. Jupiter is the largest planet of the Solar System, a gas giant with four large Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. NASA's Juno spacecraft studies Jupiter, and the Europa Clipper and ESA's JUICE missions are on their way to its icy moons.