NASA has released a video documenting a rare astronomical event involving two of Jupiter's Galilean moons, Ganymede and Io. The footage, recorded on October 20, 2026, shows Ganymede passing in front of Io, resulting in a mutual occultation.
The phenomenon occurs when one celestial body obscures another from view. Such events are infrequent, as they require Earth to be positioned at an edge-on view of the moons' orbits. This specific alignment happens only once every 6 years, coinciding with Jupiter's equinox when the planet appears less tilted.
In addition to the occultation, the video captures Ganymede casting a shadow onto the surface of Jupiter. Scientists note that Jupiter currently has 115 confirmed moons, while Saturn holds the record with 293 known natural satellites.
