Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – On Monday evening, the skies of the UAE witnessed a rare astronomical phenomenon represented by the disappearance of a star for a full 28 seconds, after an asteroid known as 2003 VS2 blocked it as it passed in front of one of the stars of the faint Al-Ayouq group.
The Astronomical Seal Observatory of the International Astronomy Center was able to monitor and document the event with high accuracy.
This is within the framework of global cooperation in which observatories from Europe and the Arab region participated.
Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Center, confirmed that the phenomenon is one of the rare events that can only be observed if the observatory is located within a very narrow occultation strip that does not exceed 530 kilometers in width, extending from the Pacific Ocean, passing through East and Central Asia, and reaching Central Africa. It included several Arab countries that were part of this path, including the Emirates The track’s center passed only 47 kilometers from the Al Khatim Observatory in Abu Dhabi, providing the observatory with an ideal opportunity to accurately document the phenomenon.
According to precise astronomical calculations, the occultation began at 11:33:34 pm UAE time, and continued for 28 seconds.
This was documented by monitoring devices, exactly as expected.
The observatory used a main telescope with a diameter of 14 inches in the observation process, which was directed towards the star well before the phenomenon began.
This occultation was characterized by an unusual phenomenon.
Instead of disappearing instantly, as usually happens due to the nature of point stars, the star gradually disappeared within about one second.
This is an important astronomical indication that it has an apparent diameter that can be measured.
The International Astronomy Center pointed out that astronomical occultations are among the most important scientific tools that led to the discovery of the rings of the planets Uranus and Neptune.
In addition to determining the diameters of stars, measuring the shapes of asteroids, refining the orbits of celestial bodies, and finally discovering new moons around some asteroids.
The Center continues to send its results to international scientific bodies, including the Astronomical Occultations Timing Organization in the United States.
