{"id":774352,"date":"2023-11-22T14:53:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T19:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=774352"},"modified":"2023-11-22T14:53:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T19:53:00","slug":"betelgeuse-will-dim-or-disappear-during-asteroid-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=774352","title":{"rendered":"Betelgeuse will dim or disappear during asteroid pass"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nView at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sergei Timofeevski shared this image from November 13, 2023. Sergei wrote: \u201cThe constellation Orion and Sirius rising just above the eastern horizon in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.\u201d Thank you, Sergei! See the orangish star marking one of Orion\u2019s shoulders? That\u2019s Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse will dim \u2013 or maybe even disappear \u2013 as an asteroid passes in front of it. But you\u2019ll have to be in the right location to see it. The event will last for several seconds on December 11 or 12, 2023, depending on your time zone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Betelgeuse will dim or disappear on December 11 or 12<\/h3>\n
On December 11 or 12, 2023, \u2013 depending on your location \u2013 observers along a narrow path in southern Europe and across the Atlantic Ocean into the Bahamas, southern Florida and part of Mexico will be able to see Betelgeuse become fainter \u2013 or maybe even disappear \u2013 for several seconds. Asteroid Leona will pass in front of the famous red supergiant star of Orion, temporarily blocking some of its light. Betelgeuse\u2019s light will look dimmed or extinguished for up to seven seconds. For more precise maps of the event, check out the map on this page of the Occult Watcher website.<\/p>\n
So, for example, in Cordoba, Spain, the mid-point of the event will be at about 1:15:45 UTC, or 2:15 a.m. local time, on December 12, 2023. And in Miami, Florida, the mid-point of the event will be at about 8:24:54 p.m. local time on December 11, 2023. That\u2019s the same as 1:24:54 UTC on December 12, 2023. Find the exact timing for your location here.<\/p>\n
Are you outside the viewing area? Check out this simulation by the Virtual Telescope Project, showing how Orion will temporarily lose its bright, orangish shoulder star.<\/p>\nThose who live on this path that cuts across southern Europe and over to the Bahamas and southern tip of Florida and coast of Mexico will see Betelgeuse dim on December 11 and 12, 2023, as an asteroid passes in front of it. Image via AsteroidOccultation.com\/ Steve Preston. Used with permission.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The 2024 lunar calendars are here! Best Christmas gifts in the universe! Check \u2019em out here. <\/p>\n
An amazing opportunity for astronomers!<\/h3>\n
This event is a great opportunity for astronomers to learn more about both the enigmatic star Betelgeuse and little asteroid Leona. Currently, both the size and shape of Betelgeuse and Leona are uncertain. Observations during the pass of Leona in front of Betelgeuse will help astronomers pin down their sizes and other features. As Sky & Telescope said:<\/p>\n
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By precisely timing the duration of the occultation from many sites simultaneously, astronomers can refine their knowledge of the size and shape of the asteroid. They may even be able to map Betelgeuse\u2019s strangely large convective cells, by which the star brightens and darkens for months at a time.<\/p>\n
As the asteroid moves across the stellar disk, it will cross over large convection cells, which are brighter than most of the the star\u2019s visible surface. Thus, measuring the brightness of the star throughout the occultation will prove vital.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Betelgeuse is a temperamental star<\/h3>\n
Betelgeuse is already famous for how it varies in brightness. And, since 2019, there\u2019s been a noticeable uptick in the brightening and dimming of Betelgeuse. It\u2019s the nearest red supergiant star to Earth, lying some 1,000 light-years away. It will explode someday, though that might be today or thousands of years from now. A paper in 2023 said that it might explode within \u201ctens of years.\u201d That would be amazing to see!<\/p>\n
If it were to explode, we would see it as an incredibly bright star, even visible in daylight for roughly a year until it faded away completely, leaving a darkness where Orion\u2019s shoulder was. Fortunately, Earth is too far away for this explosion to harm, much less destroy, life on Earth.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: On December 11 and 12, 2023, Betelgeuse will dim, or possibly even disappear, for several seconds as asteroid Leona passes in front of it.<\/p>\n
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Kelly Kizer Whitt<\/h4>\n
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About the Author:<\/h6>\n
Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science writer specializing in astronomy for more than two decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine, and she has made regular contributions to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club, among other outlets. Her children\u2019s picture book, Solar System Forecast, was published in 2012. She has also written a young adult dystopian novel titled A Different Sky. When she is not reading or writing about astronomy and staring up at the stars, she enjoys traveling to the national parks, creating crossword puzzles, running, tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Betelgeuse](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2023\/11\/asteroid-occults-Betelgeuse-Dec-12-2023-asteroidoccultation-crop.jpg\")