When the Moon Catches Venus

I photographed the lunar occultation of Venus from East Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 14, 2026. The Moon slowly caught up with Venus in the western sky until the planet disappeared behind the Moon’s dark limb at around 8:01 p.m. local time. By then, the pair was only about 4.6° above the horizon, appearing dimmer and redder through the thick atmosphere and urban haze. The sequence captures the final moments of their beautiful celestial chase before Venus vanished behind the Moon.

Telescope: Vixen ED102SS
Mount: Vixen GPD2
Camera: Nikon D5100
Filter: No Filter

Adobe Lightroom for balancing all the photo sequences.
Adobe Photoshop for the final touch and collaging.