The stellar occultation by (319) Leona on 13 September 2023 in preparation for the occultation of Betelgeuse
On 12 December 2023, the star $\alpha$ Orionis (Betelgeuse) will be occulted by the asteroid (319) Leona. This represents an extraordinary and unique opportunity to analyze the diameter and brightness distribution of Betelgeuse's photosphere with extreme angular resolution by studying the light...
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
21.09.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | On 12 December 2023, the star $\alpha$ Orionis (Betelgeuse) will be occulted
by the asteroid (319) Leona. This represents an extraordinary and unique
opportunity to analyze the diameter and brightness distribution of Betelgeuse's
photosphere with extreme angular resolution by studying the light curve as the
asteroid occults the star from different points on Earth and at different
wavelengths. Here we present observations of another occultation by Leona on 13
September 2023 to determine its projected shape and size in preparation for the
December 12th event. The occultation observation campaign was highly
successful. The effective diameter in projected area derived from the positive
detections at 17 sites turned out to be 66 km $\pm$ 2 km using an elliptical
fit to the instantaneous limb. The body is highly elongated, with dimensions of
79.6 $\pm$ 2.2 km x 54.8 $\pm$ 1.3 km in its long and short axis, respectively,
at the occultation time. Also, an accurate position coming from the
occultation, to improve the orbit determination of Leona for December 12 is
provided. |
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DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.2309.12272 |