Though not-entirely unusual, the event — called an occultation — occurs when a celestial object
eclipses the light of another.
In this case, the light of bright, but tiny, Saturn became blocked for a few moments by the potent glow of the white moon.
When the ringed-planet re-emerged on the opposite side of Earth's lunar body, it had the effect of creating a planetary photobomb.
As American astronomer Robert Berman said: "It's quite dramatic when [this] involves a bright photogenic object like Saturn, whose rings are now nearly optimally tilted...[the] striking detail visible on the foreground of the moon and the background planet [was] a true photobomb moment."
Well put, Bob.
Twitter erupted with pictures and comments surrounding the majesty of the event, although some of the user-uploaded shots left quite a bit to be desired.
Unfortunately for those astrological enthusiasts in the Western and Northern Hemispheres, Monday's spectacular sight was only visible from Eastern Hemisphere with the very best possible
view coming from the country-continent of Australia.
Having said that, lunar occulations —specifically with the moon passing in front of the planets, including Saturn— happen
several times a year, and another involving the ringed-planet will almost surely happen prior to the arrival of 2015.
Just make sure you're in the right place at the right time when the next one happens.
