Cosmic ballet: UWA scientists join effort to capture rare astronomical event

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University of WA scientists are this week gearing up to catch a glimpse of the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon — Titan — and carry out a raft of measurements, including to see if there are any tell-tale signs of extraterrestrial life.

A cosmic ballet will play out on Wednesday evening, just after 11pm, when Titan passes in front of a brightly lit star, resulting in what astronomers refer to as an “occultation” that illuminates the moon’s atmosphere from behind.

Similar to a lunar eclipse, when the moon passes between our planet and the Sun, the phenomenon will cast a shadow across Earth’s surface — and right through WA.