Occultations

Occultations (Lat. occultatio, 'a concealment') are neither more nor less than 'eclipses;' but the latter term is confined by usage to the obscuration of the sun by the moon, and of the moon by the earth's shadow, while the former is restricted to the eclipses of stars or planets by the moon. Occultations are phenomena of frequent occurrence; they are confined to a belt of the heavens about $10^\{\backslash circ\}\; 17\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}\text{'}$ wide, situated parallel to and on both sides of the equinoctial, and extending to equal distances north and south of it, being the belt within which the moon's orbit lies. These phenomena serve as data for the measurement of the moon's parallax; and they are also occasionally employed in the calculation of longitudes.