The asteroid Leona is expected to obscure the red giant star Betelgeuse late on Tuesday, an event long anticipated that will help astronomers understand the size of Leona and the composition of Betelgeuse.
Key Facts
Although the eclipse (also known as an occultation) will last only seconds, the event is significant because it will help astronomers better determine the size of Leona and provide deeper insights into the surface composition of Betelgeuse, according to the Virtual Telescope Project.
As the exact size of Leona is unknown, there is a possibility of a “ring of fire,” where the asteroid partially obscures Betelgeuse, leaving the star’s bright color glowing around the edges.
Betelgeuse can be seen with the naked eye, but telescopes and binoculars will make the celestial event easier to view.
The Eclipse Will Be Visible Only from Limited Areas
The eclipse will be visible only from limited areas, including Miami, Florida Keys, parts of Mexico, Italy, Spain, Tajikistan, Greece, Armenia, and Turkey. Nevertheless, the Virtual Telescope Project will livestream from Italy starting at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
The eclipse is expected to be visible in Florida at around 8:17 PM Eastern Time, according to the OccultWatcher tool used by the International Occultation Timing Association.
Critical Quote
“This type of occultation is very useful for determining the shape of the involved asteroid,” said Gianluca Masi, astronomer and director of the Virtual Telescope Project, in a statement. “Here, we hope to even check the surface of the star in question: Betelgeuse.”
Main Background
Betelgeuse is 700 light-years away and is about 10 million years old, making it much younger than the sun, which is around five billion years old. Betelgeuse is a massive red giant star that is part of the Orion constellation, and scientists expect it will not last much longer and will explode within 100,000 years due to its speed and mass. Thus, this event will provide a glimpse of what the Orion constellation will look like in the future without the star. Betelgeuse significantly dimmed in 2019, puzzling scientists about what happened. Some believed it was the first warning sign of its explosion – known as a supernova. The European Southern Observatory released images of the star in October that were taken between December 2018 and December 2020. Although the star as a whole dimmed, its visible surface (called the photosphere) actually became brighter, as shown in the images. This supports the common theory that Betelgeuse dimmed because it released a puff of dust that obscured its view from Earth.
Stunning Fact
According to NASA, Betelgeuse is between 7,500 to 14,000 times brighter than the sun and about 15 times larger. It is one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye.
What to Watch For
The Geminid meteor shower is also expected to peak next week. This annual display is estimated to peak between December 13 and December 14, around 9 PM to 10 PM. The Geminids are considered one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers, according to NASA. The shower is fast and very bright, primarily consisting of white meteors, although there are some yellow, green, blue, and red meteors.
Further Reading
How to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower: One of the most “intense” meteor showers of the year is back (Forbes)
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