An eclipse is expected to happen next week. However, it's neither lunar nor solar, as the rare astronomical event will involve an asteroid and a star.
Asteroid To Eclipse Betelgeuse Star
For those in certain parts of the world, a unique astronomical event will be ideally positioned in the night sky on Monday (Dec 11). That evening, in what is known as an occultation, an asteroid will pass in front of the intriguing red star Betelgeuse, eclipsing it from Earth's perspective and obscuring it for up to 15 seconds.
Asteroid 319 Leona rounds the sun between Jupiter and Mars. The space rock is shaped like an egg and has dimensions of 50 by 34 miles (80 x 55 kilometers).
The event is dubbed "an extraordinary and unique opportunity" by astronomers, who examine Betelgeuse's photosphere, the visible region of the star where most of the radiation is emitted.
However, the occultation will only be visible along a small swath that crosses southern Florida and stretches eastward from central Mexico. Southern Europe and Eurasia will be able to see the event once the course reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Visit OccultWatcher.net to view an interactive map of the occultation's visibility path.
This means most of us won't be able to witness the occultation because of where we are on Earth. Fortunately, a free livestream of the event will begin at 8 p.m. and be hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project in Rome, Italy, on Monday, Dec. 11 (0100 GMT on Dec. 12).
Betelgeuse is among the most luminescent stars in the night sky and one of the biggest stars astronomers know. Its crimson hue sets it out and forms the left shoulder of the Orion constellation.
Astronomers have been closely examining this star lately because of reports of dramatic brightness and dimming.
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What Is Eclipse?
An eclipse happens when a celestial body, like a planet or Moon, passes into the shadow of another celestial body. Two kinds of eclipses occur on Earth, and they are as follows:
Lunar Eclipse
The Moon circles the Earth in an orbit. Earth revolves around the Sun at the same time. Earth occasionally shifts about the Sun and the Moon. In this case, the Earth blocks the sunlight that the Moon would otherwise reflect. The Moon shines because of this sunlight. Rather than light falling on the Moon's surface, Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. This is a lunar eclipse or eclipse of the Moon. The only time a lunar eclipse can happen is during a full moon.
Solar Eclipse
The Moon occasionally travels between the Sun and Earth during its orbit. When this occurs, the Moon prevents the Sun's light from reaching Earth. This results in a solar eclipse, or eclipse of the Sun. The Moon shadows the Earth during a solar eclipse.
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