Saturn will appear to pass behind the Moon tonight if you happen to be watching the sky from eastern Australia, in an event called the lunar occultation of Saturn.

The occultation of Saturn occurs when the Moon appears to pass in front of Saturn from the viewpoint of Earth. These celestial events are only visible for a small part of Earth each time they occur, so you need to be in the right place at the right time to watch it unfold.

Tonight’s lunar occultation will be visible from parts of eastern Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. Estimated times for viewing the occultation of Saturn can be found below.

This event will be safe to view with camera, binoculars and telescopes. However, the brightness of the Moon may make it difficult to capture it on camera.

According to the Sydney Observatory, “the disappearance is hard to photograph due to the brightness of the Moon’s lit disc, but the reappearance will be much easier, as it takes place at the dark, unlit part of the disc.”

It may also be hard to make out the rings of Saturn tonight because the planet’s current orientation relative to Earth means its rings are almost edge-on to Earth. Think of trying to view a piece of paper from the side.

Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne may have some cloud to contend with during tonight's lunar occultation, while Sydney's skies will be clear during the whole event.