Betelgeuse appears yellowish red at the bottom left. This brightest star is expected to disappear temporarily.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Next week, the sky is predicted to put on an extraordinary show for star lovers. Betelgeuse, for one the brightest star which is located on the right shoulder of the constellation Orion, will experience a rare phenomenon when it is temporarily hidden by the asteroid 319 Leona.
This event only lasted 12 seconds, which is estimated to have occurred on Monday (11/12/2023) around 20.17 EST or Tuesday (12/12/2023) at 08.17 WIB). Even though this event occurred, unfortunately only people in a narrow strip from Asia to southern Europe, Florida and eastern Mexico were able to witness this event directly without tools such as telescopes.
However, The Virtual Telescope Project will provide streaming live this event, making it possible for anyone around the world to witness it. It is important to know the location Betelgeuse in the night sky.
According to astrophysicist and director of The Virtual Telescope Project, Gianluca Masi, occultation like this is very useful for studying the shape of the asteroid involved. “This event also provides an opportunity to understand more deeply how variations in Betelgeuse’s brightness occur,” said Masi, as reported by Best LifeFriday (8/12/2023).
In the Northern Hemisphere, look east about two hours after sunset. Betelgeuse is located on the same horizon line as Mintaka, to the left of the easily recognizable trio of stars in Orion’s Belt, Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka.
Apart from being an interesting phenomenon, Betelgeuse’s “disappearance” also provides practical benefits for astronomers. Experts hope to gain further understanding of Betelgeuse’s surface, as well as the shape and size of the asteroid 319 Leona.
2023-12-08 05:12:17
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