Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish. That’s because an asteroid will pass in front of it in a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare event will occur late Monday into early Tuesday. Weather permitting, it should be visible to millions of people along a narrow path stretching from central Asia and southern Europe to parts of Florida and Mexico. The star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation Orion. The asteroid is Leona, a space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers hope to learn more about both through the secondslong eclipse.