In December, a very rare space phenomenon will occur

In an astronomical spectacle, on the night of December 11th to 12th, the asteroid 319 Leona, with impressive 60 km in diameter, is scheduled to make a direct pass in front of the star Betelgeuse.

This, in turn, is a red supergiant in the constellation of Orion and the tenth brightest star in our night sky. Betelgeuse, whose peculiar name can be translated as “giant’s armpit”.

Betelgeuse Star. Photo: Shutterstock.

The imposing star that highlights its red color in an angular diameter that, excluding the Sun, is the second largest in the sky. The uniqueness of this cosmic event is accentuated by Betelgeuse's evolutionary stage, with the likelihood that it is on the verge of becoming a supernova.

However, the exact moment of this transformation remains uncertain, and could occur in the coming decades or even over a longer period of 100,000 years. It is these uncertainties that give the occultation of the star by the asteroid a truly special character.

Variable brightness draws astronomers' attention

The asteroid's passage, according to astronomers, will have a notable impact, blocking a staggering 94% of the light emitted by Betelgeuse, temporarily transforming this star into something more common.

The phenomenon is of extreme importance due to Betelgeuse's variable brightness, caused by gigantic cells convection that transport heat from the core to the surface, changing its luminosity throughout the time.

Preceding this cosmic event, a group of researchers observed a previous occultation performed by Leona on September 13, occulting an unnamed star. This study was crucial in determining the projected shape and size of the asteroid, thus preparing for the great event of December 12th.

Authors of a previous study, available in the online preprint repository arXiv, highlight that, in the majority of concealments stellar, the diameters of stars are tiny compared to the angular size of the bodies in the solar system that pass through them. in front of you.

However, they warn that, in the case of Betelgeuse, the large angular diameter of the red giant could result in a phenomenon different, such as “partial eclipse” or “total eclipse”, as long as its angular diameter is very large compared to the star.

The occultation is scheduled to occur at 10:17 pm on December 11th (Brasília time), being visible along a privileged corridor that stretches from Central Asia and southern Europe to Florida and the Mexico. Unfortunately, this phenomenon will hardly be observed in Brazil.

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