Betelgeuse nearly disappeared - for some - in rare eclipse last night

[LeftInTX]

Link to tweet

Asteroid 319 Leona passed in front of the star Betelgeuse tonight and it seems that it only decreased its brightness for a couple of seconds and did not completely hide it, at least from the perspective of Italy. “Spikes” or glow lines disappear briefly. Video: Antonio Piras.

https://earthsky.org/space/betelgeuse-will-dim-disappear-asteroid-leona-dec-11-12-2023/

&t=1s&ab_channel=spacemovie


The bright star Betelgeuse did become fainter – and, for experienced observers using the right equipment, nearly disappeared – last night (night of December 11, 2023). The event occurred as asteroid Leona passed in front of the star. But the event was quick! And it was subtle: a momentary dimming of the star.

The tweet above – from Italy – shows what the eye would have seen: a dimming, but not a total disappearance.

I watched first in Sardina. It looked maybe 50% decrease for 2 seconds there. Then I flipped to Portugal and saw nothing. Betelguese must either be larger than thought in apparent diameter or the asteroid smaller.

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Betelgeuse eclipse the prequel:

https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2023/12/04/the-extremely-rare-betelgeuse-occultation-by-asteroid-319-leona-online-event-12-dec-2023/#google_vignette

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/betelgeuse-star-eclipse-orion-constellation-asteroid-leona-how-to-watch/

]Betelgeuse Is About To Be Eclipsed In A Rare ‘Ring Of Fire’
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2023/12/08/betelgeuse-is-about-to-be-eclipsed-in-a-rare-ring-of-fire/?sh=4f5823872078

Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions
https://apnews.com/article/asteroid-star-eclipse-betelgeuse-b9e3796c1ca915afdb84ed41509da9c8

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Didn't know where to post this: Lounge, Science or Offbeat? A much anticipated astronomical event was a dud! (That's not unusual)

I'm glad a few people caught it on video.

Unfortunately, I don't think NASA had any telescopes on it.

Was this an over-hyped media astronomical event? It was supposed to last for 15 seconds. There was even talk of a "ring of fire"

Still looking around for better video.

[LeftInTX]

1. A few videos emerged

&ab_channel=spacemovie

&ab_channel=J%C3%B6rgSchoppmeyer

Best seen if you slow down the YouTube speed! I lasted maybe two seconds!