occultation

noun

oc·​cul·​ta·​tion ˌä-(ˌ)kəl-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the state of being hidden from view or lost to notice

2

: the interruption of the light from a celestial body or of the signals from a spacecraft by the intervention of a celestial body

especially : an eclipse of a star or planet by the moon

Examples of occultation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The routine passage, called an occultation, was supposed to last less than an hour, but ground teams didn’t hear from the spacecraft when it was supposed to regain contact with Earth. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026

Over the following hours, the moon will pass directly in front of the red supergiant star, briefly blocking its light in an event that astronomers refer to as an occultation, according to the astronomy website In-the-Sky. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 29 May 2026

But such moments when a TNO is illuminated by a star in the cosmic background, called stellar occultations, are rare opportunities to study the size, shape and features of a small, distant object, Arimatsu said. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 May 2026

To reach the new conclusions, a team of researchers analyzed Juno's radio occultation data, which essentially allows the spacecraft to peer through Jupiter's dense clouds in order to understand the planet's internal structure. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English occultacion, borrowed from Latin occultātiōn-, occultātiō "concealment, interruption of light from a celestial body," from occultāre "to prevent from being seen, conceal, keep secret" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at occult entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for occultation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation