An asteroid briefly zipped in front of a star at 54,000 mph (87,000 km/h), helping astronomers take a rare direct measurement of the star's size. More importantly, the new research proves such events (called occultations) can be used to accurately measure, rather than estimate, the sizes of stars.

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An asteroid briefly zipped in front of a star at 54,000 mph (87,000 km/h), helping astronomers take a rare direct measurement of the star's size. More importantly, the new research proves such events (called occultations) can be used to accurately measure, rather than estimate, the sizes of stars.