There is something unexpectedly thrilling about watching one celestial object pass in front of another, an eclipse being the obvious example. On the evening of 29 March, the moon will briefly blot out one of the brightest stars in the spring sky. Such an event is known as an occultation, and this week the occulted star is Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, the lion.
Regulus is found at the base of Leo’s distinctive “sickle” asterism, the backward question mark of stars that outlines the lion’s head. It shines at magnitude 1.4 and is readily visible, even from towns and cities.
