An asteroid is Set to Eclipse the Bright Star Betelgeuse, creating a Rare Celestial event visible to Millions

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.

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.