Saturn 'photobombs' moon in dramatic planetary event

Stargazers were treated on Monday to what some astronomers took to calling a planetary "photobomb": an eclipse of Saturn by the moon.

The astrological event, visible in the Eastern Hemisphere, occurred when the rings of Saturn disappeared behind the moon and reappeared on the other side — peeking over the moon's shoulder in "photobomb"  fashion.

"It's quite dramatic when it involves a bright photogenic object like Saturn, whose rings are now nearly optimally tilted," Slooh Community Observatory astronomer Bob Berman said in a press release announcing a live stream of the occultation — or when one astronomical object moves in front of another.

"It's a cool observational event," Bruce Betts, director of Science and Technology at the Planetary Society, told ABC News. "The naked eye could see the rings of Saturn, and could see it disappear behind the moon and reappear on the other side."

While undeniably cool, the specatacle isn't terribly rare. Monday's occultation was one of 13 featuring Saturn and the moon this year.

Observers in Australia seemed to have the best view.