Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions
One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish. That’s because an asteroid will pass in front of it in a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare event will occur late Monday into early Tuesday. Weather permitting, it should be visible to millions of people along a narrow path stretching from central Asia and southern Europe to parts of Florida and Mexico. The star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation Orion. The asteroid is Leona, a space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers hope to learn more about both through the secondslong eclipse.
One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish. That’s because an asteroid will pass in front of it in a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare event will occur late Monday into early Tuesday. Weather permitting, it should be visible to millions of people along a narrow path stretching from central Asia and southern Europe to parts of Florida and Mexico. The star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation Orion. The asteroid is Leona, a space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers hope to learn more about both through the secondslong eclipse. AP Technology and Science