There are all sorts of stunning celestial events that take place throughout the year, including eclipses. But have you ever heard of a star eclipse? If not, now is the perfect time to learn about them. Essentially, this takes place when an asteroid passes in front of a particularly bright star. The one taking place tonight is particularly special, which is why I’m here to share how you can watch this star eclipse for yourself tonight.
But first, let me explain why tonight’s event is so special. The asteroid will pass in front of a star called Betelgeuse. This red supergiant is in the constellation of Orion, and it’s known to be one of the largest and brightest starts. It’s visible with the naked eye — in fact, it’s around 700 times bigger than our sun and thousands of times brighter.
This event is known to astronomers as an occultation. Not only is it a breathtaking sight to behold, but it’s also one that may give astronomers new info on Betelgeuse — this happened when they observed the eclipse of a dimmer star, Leona. Here, they were able to get an estimate of it’s length and width.
How to Watch Tonight’s Star Eclipse
Want to catch a glimpse of this spectacular event? It will be most visible to folks along central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. It will also be visible in Miami, the Florida Keys, and parts of Mexico. It should take place around 8:16 EST.
If you don’t live in any of those places, or simply want to watch from the comfort of your home, you can also catch a livestream of the event on The Virtual Telescope Project’s YouTube page.
Either way, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled — this spectacular event will only last up to 15 seconds!
Watch tonight’s stunning star eclipse, also called an occultation, in the livestream below!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
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