Occultation

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Occultation

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The disappearance of a body behind another body of larger apparent size. </dd>
When the moon passes between the observer and a star, the star is said to be occulted. The three associated terms, occultation, eclipse, and transit, are exemplified by the motions of the satellites of Jupiter. An eclipse occurs when a satellite passes into the shadow cast by the planet; an occultation occurs when a satellite passes directly behind the planet; so that it could not be seen even if it were illuminated; and a transit occurs when a satellite passes between the observer and the planet, showing against the disk of the planet. </dd>

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use