by Next week, a rare celestial event will occur as an asteroid blocks the red supergiant star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion.
Betelgeuse, usually the 10th-brightest star in the night sky, will briefly blink off Monday, Dec. 11 as the asteroid 319 Leona appears to pass in front of it from our point of view on Earth.
The event, which will last only 12 seconds, will be a valuable opportunity for astronomers to create a map of the giant star's surface, which has been linked to its recent odd behavior.
It's highly unusual for one of the brightest stars in the night sky to be blocked, or "occulted," by an asteroid.
Although the smaller asteroid may cause a "ring of fire" annular eclipse of Betelgeuse, a limited number of skywatchers will be in the right position to see it.
Anyone not in the path can watch a livestream of the event being hosted byThe Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, which happens to fall within the path of the occultation.
The livestream is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. EST on Dec. 11.
The occultation itself will occur around 8:17 p.m. EST, according to Sky & Telescope, though that time could shift by a few minutes as the orbit of 319 Leona is refined.
Source
Betelgeuse, usually the 10th-brightest star in the night sky, will briefly blink off Monday, Dec. 11 as the asteroid 319 Leona appears to pass in front of it from our point of view on Earth.
The event, which will last only 12 seconds, will be a valuable opportunity for astronomers to create a map of the giant star's surface, which has been linked to its recent odd behavior.
It's highly unusual for one of the brightest stars in the night sky to be blocked, or "occulted," by an asteroid.
Although the smaller asteroid may cause a "ring of fire" annular eclipse of Betelgeuse, a limited number of skywatchers will be in the right position to see it.
Anyone not in the path can watch a livestream of the event being hosted byThe Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, which happens to fall within the path of the occultation.
The livestream is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. EST on Dec. 11.
The occultation itself will occur around 8:17 p.m. EST, according to Sky & Telescope, though that time could shift by a few minutes as the orbit of 319 Leona is refined.
Source
