“Rare eclipse as asteroid Leona passes Betelgeuse, cosmic spectacle unfolds.”
A rare and breathtaking cosmic event is set to unfold as an asteroid, named Leona, is projected to pass in front of the colossal star Betelgeuse, resulting in a distinctive eclipse. Scheduled late Monday into early Tuesday, this spectacle will grace the skies along a narrow trajectory spanning from central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain, all the way to Miami, the Florida Keys, and certain regions of Mexico.
Betelgeuse, a red supergiant nestled in the Orion constellation, is the star poised for this unique celestial encounter. Leona, an elongated space rock residing within the primary asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, will momentarily obscure Betelgeuse, offering astronomers a rare opportunity to gather insights about both celestial bodies. Forecasts anticipate the eclipse’s duration to be brief, lasting no more than 15 seconds.
Through a prior eclipse event in September, a team led by Spanish astronomers estimated Leona’s dimensions to be approximately 34 miles wide and 50 miles long (55 kilometers wide and 80 kilometers long). However, uncertainties persist regarding these predictions, along with uncertainties regarding the star’s size and its expansive atmosphere. The impending eclipse’s outcome remains ambiguous—whether it will completely obscure the star, leading to a total eclipse, or create a captivating “ring of fire” effect with a minute fiery border surrounding Betelgeuse.
Gianluca Masa, an astronomer and founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, expressed the intrigue surrounding the uncertainty of the impending cosmic occurrence. Betelgeuse, located approximately 700 light-years away, is observable to the naked eye, but using binoculars or small telescopes will enhance the viewing experience. To put its distance into perspective, a light-year measures 5.8 trillion miles.
Betelgeuse dwarfs our sun, shining thousands of times brighter and being about 700 times larger. If it were to replace our sun, its vastness would extend beyond Jupiter, according to NASA. Despite its immense size and brightness, Betelgeuse is relatively young at only 10 million years old, compared to our sun’s age of 4.6 billion years. Scientists project a shorter lifespan for Betelgeuse due to its massive size and rapid consumption of its resources.
In 2019, Betelgeuse experienced a significant dimming following the ejection of a substantial amount of surface material into space. This resulted in a temporary blockage of starlight by a dust cloud, causing Betelgeuse to dim. However, within six months, it had regained its previous brightness. Researchers anticipate Betelgeuse to culminate in a spectacular supernova explosion within the next 100,000 years, marking the end of its cosmic journey.
