Betelgeuse , one of the brightest and therefore visible stars in our sky, has been exhibiting strange behavior in recent years .
Located in the constellation Orion, it suddenly lost its brightness and became dimmer in 2019, making astronomers wonder if it was about to explode.
Now, scientists predict that the star Betelgeuse will almost completely disappear, if only briefly, on December 12. Scientists predict that a passing asteroid named 319 Leona will eclipse the star, making it invisible from Earth for up to five seconds.
This will be an opportunity for astronomers to gather critical information about Betelgeuse that could help understand the birth of planetary systems.
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"This is extraordinary. Basically, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," astrophysicist Miguel Montargès from the Paris Observatory told Business Insider.
What makes this event special? Asteroids pass in front of stars all the time. Usually, however, they are so large that they completely block out the star's light. In the case of asteroid 319 Leona, it will be something like an eclipse, because its size in relation to the star is such that it will leave something like a "ring of fire".
This means that the asteroid will block most of Betelgeuse's light, but will let in some of its glow, allowing some of the star's fainter features to appear at nearby observatories.
Experts believe this occultation could provide clues about how much hot, charged gas is moving around the dying star. And that, experts say, is important because it could tell us how planetary systems like ours are born.
See also: Dead star comes back to life, astronomers observe
"It will tell us what the physics behind red supergiants are and how they eject wind their," the astrophysicist added, noting that material from the star could eventually create a new solar system.
Montargès and his colleagues are coordinating a group of about 80 amateur astronomers across Europe who will turn their telescopes to the sky to gather as much information as possible during the asteroid's transit of the star Betelgeuse.
"If we work well during this campaign and if the weather is on our side, we could perhaps get an image of the star's surface," Montargès said.
You can check the International Occultation Timing Association website to see if location is a good spot to watch the phenomenon.
To see Betelgeuse with the naked eye, locate the first three stars that make up Orion's belt. Then, you'll see a reddish star on the left, which is Betelgeuse.
See also: Hundreds of stars disappeared without a trace, what happened?
Of course, the ring of fire will not be visible, as it would take a very powerful telescope to see that much detail in the distant star.
Those who are not in areas where they can see the star will be able to watch it via the Virtual Telescope Project , which will broadcast the eclipse live online from 8 p.m. on December 11.
Why is studying the star Betelgeuse important?
Betelgeuse is one of the most well-known stars in the sky and is of great importance to astronomy. Scientists are very interested in studying it, as its evolution is of great interest. It is considered a variable star, which means that brightness changes periodically. This variability provides scientists with valuable information about the processes occurring inside it.
Finally, Betelgeuse is of great importance for understanding the evolution of the universe. Its study gives us information about the origin of elements in the universe and the evolution of massive stars. Observations of Betelgeuse help us understand how the elements that make up our world are created and how stars evolve over time.
Source: www.businessinsider.com
