You've probably never seen an eclipse quite like this.
Early Thursday morning, skywatchers in North America will be treated to a rare celestial sight when a 45-mile wide asteroid eclipses a star. Regulus, the brightest star in the Leo constellation, will be visible from Earth overnight between March 19 and 20 as asteroid Erigone makes a pass.
Erigone follows a path between Mars and Jupiter about 110 million miles from Earth as it orbits the sun in the main asteroid belt. Around 2:06 a.m. EDT Thursday, Regulus will pull a disappearing act for a short period of time as that path leads Erigone to block out the star for observers in the northeast.
But be forewarned: Blink, and you might miss it. The eclipse may last only 14 seconds or at most two minutes for some locations, Space.com reports.
![regulus star leo]()
Can you spot Regulus in Leo? The bright star forms the bottom right corner of the constellation.
The eclipse should be visible to the naked eye for early morning viewers in New York City, as well as portions of New Jersey, Connecticut and Ontario. The Slooh Space Camera will also provide a live broadcast of the spectacle.
Watch Slooh's live stream, beginning at 1:45 a.m. EDT on March 20, above.
Early Thursday morning, skywatchers in North America will be treated to a rare celestial sight when a 45-mile wide asteroid eclipses a star. Regulus, the brightest star in the Leo constellation, will be visible from Earth overnight between March 19 and 20 as asteroid Erigone makes a pass.
Erigone follows a path between Mars and Jupiter about 110 million miles from Earth as it orbits the sun in the main asteroid belt. Around 2:06 a.m. EDT Thursday, Regulus will pull a disappearing act for a short period of time as that path leads Erigone to block out the star for observers in the northeast.
But be forewarned: Blink, and you might miss it. The eclipse may last only 14 seconds or at most two minutes for some locations, Space.com reports.
The eclipse should be visible to the naked eye for early morning viewers in New York City, as well as portions of New Jersey, Connecticut and Ontario. The Slooh Space Camera will also provide a live broadcast of the spectacle.
Watch Slooh's live stream, beginning at 1:45 a.m. EDT on March 20, above.