Asteroid Leona to Obscure Supergiant Star Betelgeuse in Rare Occultation Event

The event provides a unique opportunity for astronomers to study Betelgeuse, a star known for its fluctuating brightness and color.

Betelgeuse, a supergiant star in the Orion constellation, will be obscured by the asteroid Leona for a few seconds on December 11, 2023, at 8:17 p.m. ET.
The event, known as an occultation, will be visible from certain parts of the world, including southern Florida, southern Spain, southern Italy, northern Turkey, and Central Asia.
The occultation provides a unique opportunity for astronomers to study the surface of Betelgeuse, which has been fluctuating in brightness and color.
Betelgeuse, which is 700 times the size of the Sun and located 700 light-years from Earth, is expected to explode as a supernova in the future.
The event will also allow researchers to better understand the shape of the asteroid Leona.