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The Occultation of Betelgeuse by (319) Leona on 2023 Dec 12
JOA 2023, Vol. 13, No. 4, Page 3 Author(s): Mike Kretlow, Jose Luis Ortiz, Carles SchnabelAbstract: On 2023 Dec 12 the bright naked-eye star Betelgeuse (α Ori) will be occulted by the main-belt asteroid (319) Leona. The occultation path of this transatlantic event starts in eastern China, then crosses Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the southern tip of Florida and finally ends in Mexico. Because the apparent size of the asteroid will likely be smaller than the angular diameter of the star in visible light (~50 mas), this will result in an annular (and/or partial) occultation which is different from the usual (total) asteroidal occultation and will give a big community of pro/am observers a unique opportunity to study this star in detail with small instruments.