• UGI USER
  • May 02, 2024
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“IIA RELEASES VIDEO OF MOON HIDING ANTARES, BRIGHTEST STAR.”

Why in the news?

“IIA films moon occulting Antares, a bright red star, lasting 40 minutes, visible only from southern India, using the Bengaluru telescope.”

source:wikimedia

About the IIA’s Observation of Moon Occulting Antares:

  • Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) recorded the moon passing in front of Antares, a prominent red star.
  • Occurred on April 27, the event lasted approximately 40 minutes and was visible solely from southern India.
  • The Moon’s periodic orbit leads to occasional occultations of bright stars and even planets.
  • Antares, the brightest star in the Scorpius constellation, experiences such events due to the moon’s proximity to Earth.
About ANTARES :

ANTARES Neutrino Detector:

  • Located 2.5 km under the Mediterranean Sea off Toulon, France.
  • Designed as a directional neutrino telescope to observe cosmic neutrino flux from the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Complements the IceCube detector at the South Pole.

Project Details:

  • Recognized CERN experiment (RE6).
  • Nearby projects include Greek NESTOR and Italian NEMO telescopes, both in early design stages.
  • Data collection ended in February 2022 after 16 years of continuous operation.