The Astronomical Seal Observatory of the International Astronomy Center monitored at dawn on Saturday, and photographed a rare astronomical phenomenon, seen from regions in the UAE, which is the disappearance of a star for 8 seconds, due to the passage of an asteroid named “Thuli” in front of one of the stars of Taurus.
Sharjah 24 – WAM:
The Astronomical Seal Observatory of the International Astronomy Center was able, at dawn on Saturday, to monitor and photograph a rare astronomical phenomenon, seen from regions in the UAE, which is the disappearance of a star for 8 seconds, due to the passage of an asteroid named “Thuli” 279 Thule in front of a star of Taurus called HIP 20917. .
This phenomenon can only be monitored from certain areas located within a narrow strip whose width does not exceed 130 kilometers that crossed the southern half of the UAE and some neighboring countries, including parts of the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, northern Saudi Arabia, southern Jordan and southern Palestine.
It happened that this narrow strip passed over the Astronomical Seal Observatory in the Seal area in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, according to the International Astronomy Center.
Engineer Muhammad Shawkat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Center, said that the diameter of the asteroid “Thuli” was only 126 kilometers, and it was located at the time of occultation at a distance of 474 million kilometers from Earth, while the star is 37 light years away from us, and previous astronomical calculations for the observatory’s location showed that The asteroid will pass in front of the star and the occultation will begin on Saturday, December 24 at 03 am 28 minutes UAE time, and the occultation will last for only 8 seconds, and during this period the star will disappear from view due to the passage of the faint asteroid in front of it.
In preparation for the occultation, the main telescope of the Astronomical Seal Observatory, which has a diameter of 14 inches, was directed towards the star at three o’clock in the morning, and as soon as the telescope was directed towards it, it was clearly seen through the instruments, and the star remained visible until it disappeared at 03 am, 27 minutes and 59.953 seconds, and the occultation continued. For 8 seconds, until the star reappeared at 03:03 am, 28 minutes and 08.460 seconds.