One of the most prominent stars in
the night sky is set to briefly disappear as an asteroid passes in front of it,
creating a unique eclipse.
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| This image made with the Hubble Space Telescope and released by NASA on Aug. 10, 2020 shows the star Alpha Orionis, or Betelgeuse, a red supergiant |
This rare event, occurring late
Monday into early Tuesday, will be observable to millions along a narrow path from
central Asia's Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain,
extending to Miami and the Florida Keys, and finally reaching parts of Mexico.
The star involved is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant situated in the Orion constellation. The asteroid participating in this celestial ballet is Leona, a slowly rotating, oblong space rock located in the primary asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Astronomers are eager to gather
more insights about Betelgeuse and Leona through this short-lived eclipse,
expected to last no more than 15 seconds. In a previous observation of an
eclipse involving Leona and a much fainter star in September, a team led by
Spanish astronomers estimated the asteroid's dimensions to be approximately 34
miles wide and 50 miles long (55 kilometers wide and 80 kilometers long).
There are still uncertainties
surrounding the predictions, including the size of the star and its expansive
atmosphere. It remains unclear whether the asteroid will completely obscure the
entire star, resulting in a total eclipse, or if it will create a "ring of fire" eclipse with a small,
fiery border around the star. If it is a total eclipse, the duration of the
star's disappearance is uncertain, potentially lasting up to 10 seconds.
Astronomer Gianluca Masa, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, which will
offer a live webcast from Italy, expressed, "Which scenario we will see is uncertain, making the event even more
intriguing."
Betelgeuse, situated approximately 700 light-years away, is visible to the naked eye. The use of binoculars and small telescopes will enhance the viewing experience. It's worth noting that a light-year is equivalent to 5.8 trillion miles.
Betelgeuse, thousands of times
brighter than our sun and around 700 times larger, is so massive that if it
were to replace our sun, it would extend beyond Jupiter, as per NASA's
estimation.
At the relatively young age of 10
million years, Betelgeuse is significantly younger than our sun, which is
approximately 4.6 billion years old. Due to its substantial mass and the rapid
rate at which it's depleting its material, scientists anticipate Betelgeuse to
have a relatively short lifespan.
In 2019, Betelgeuse experienced a
significant dimming when a substantial amount of surface material was ejected
into space. NASA explains that the resulting dust cloud temporarily obstructed
the starlight, and within six months, Betelgeuse had regained its original
brightness.
Scientists anticipate a dramatic
fate for Betelgeuse—going supernova in a violent explosion within the next
100,000 years.
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