The asteroid Erígone will hide the star Regulus for a few seconds next Wednesday, March 20 (in the transition of the night from March 19 to 20) when it passes close to Earth. One of the interesting details of this phenomenon will be that New York City and other areas of the northern United States will be able to observe this event with the naked eye, without the need for specialized instruments.
This rarity that the asteroid, about 45 kilometers long and orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt, hides a star is also, according to the magazine Sky & Telescope , the first time in history that the vision of the occultation of such a bright star by an asteroid in an area as densely populated as New York (it can be seen by more than 20 million people).
As the asteroid Erigone is relatively small, it will only become visible when it hides the bright star Regulus. The star will remain hidden for a period of 14 seconds around 2:06 a.m. on the 20th (New York time).
To locate the star in the sky, astronomers recommend this simple trick: face the Moon, extend your arms out to the sides and we are almost there; Regulus will be in a straight line above our right hand, almost at the same height as the Moon. As it is a very bright star, it will not be difficult to locate, even with a lot of light pollution .
Image credit: IOTA / Stellarium / Sky & Telescope
