In the near future, the star Betelgeuse, known for its luminosity, will experience a unique eclipse. Here are instructions on how to observe it.

A rare eclipse will occur when an asteroid crosses in front of a prominent star in the night sky, causing it to temporarily disappear. This phenomenon will be viewable to millions and can also be watched via livestream.

On Monday night and early Tuesday morning, a rare and brief event will be observable along a narrow route from Tajikistan and Armenia in central Asia, through Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain, to Miami, the Florida Keys, and certain areas of Mexico.

The star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation Orion. The asteroid is 319 Leona, a slowly rotating, oblong space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The Virtual Telescope Project will offer a live webcast from Italy.

In September, a Spanish-led team estimated the size of an asteroid to be approximately 34 miles wide and 50 miles long by studying an eclipse of a less bright star by Leona.

There are remaining uncertainties regarding the accuracy of these forecasts, as well as the dimensions of the star and its vast atmosphere. It is uncertain whether the asteroid will completely block out the star, causing a total eclipse. Alternatively, there may be a “ring of fire” eclipse with a small glowing border around the star. If it is a total eclipse, astronomers are unsure of the duration, potentially lasting up to 10 seconds.

Astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, stated that the specific scenario for the event is unpredictable, adding to its intrigue.

Tips for viewing the solar eclipse.

The telescope project will be hosting a livestream of the event for viewers to watch. The livestream is set to start at 8 p.m. EST on Monday.

Per Sky & Telescope, the eclipse is expected to take place at approximately 8:17 p.m. EST.

According to Masi, these types of occultations have great value in determining the shape of the asteroid. In this case, our goal is to also study the surface of the star being obscured, Betelgeuse. As Leona passes in front of it from our viewpoint on Earth, we anticipate gaining insight into its extensive convective cells, which are responsible for its changing luminosity.

According to NASA, Betelgeuse is significantly larger and brighter than our sun, being thousands of times brighter and 700 times bigger. It is so massive that if it were to take the place of our sun, it would reach beyond the size of Jupiter.

Reworded: Betelgeuse, which is only 10 million years old, is much younger than the sun, which is 4.6 billion years old. Scientists predict that Betelgeuse will have a relatively short lifespan due to its mass and the rate at which it is consuming its resources.

According to NASA, Betelgeuse experienced a significant decrease in brightness in 2019 due to the expulsion of a large amount of surface material into space. This event caused a temporary blockage of starlight by a dust cloud, but within six months, Betelgeuse returned to its original level of brightness.

Source: cbsnews.com