Big asteroid will eclipse bright star Thursday

Skywatchers, get ready to see a rare vanishing act—and don't blink.

In the wee hours of Thursday, a 45-mile-wide asteroid will eclipse the brightest star in the Constellation Leo. The asteroid is 163 Erigone in the between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The star briefly disappearing will be Regulus.

This so-called occultation will last no more than 14 seconds, around 2 a.m. EDT. It could be as short as a fraction of a second.

What makes this unusual is the brightness of Regulus and the potential viewing audience. Weather permitting, the eclipse should be visible with the naked eye from New York City and elsewhere along a populated swath in the U.S. Northeast and eastern Canada.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Big asteroid will eclipse bright star Thursday (2014, March 18) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2014-03-big-asteroid-eclipse-bright-star.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Orbital motions of over 100,000 asteroids visualized

0 shares

Feedback to editors