NASA Announces We May Have a Chance to See a Star Explosion With the Naked Eye This Year

By Regina Sienra on March 22, 2024



Image: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

This year is full of exciting astronomical events. In just a few weeks, a good chunk of North America will get to see a total solar eclipse, which could also feature a green “devil comet.” Now, NASA has revealed that yet another stellar occurrence will take place later this year. The star system T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, is predicted to experience a nova outburst, which would make it visible to the naked eye between now and September.

The nova outburst only occurs about every 80 years, and since T CrB last exploded in 1946, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. The system is located 3,000 light-years away from Earth, and its light is usually magnitude +10—too dim to see without a telescope. However, the nova will make a jump to magnitude +2, meaning it will have a brightness similar to that of the North Star, Polaris.

Contrary to the supernova, which marks the end of a star's life, the nova only expels the outer layers of accumulated material. The energy thrust out of the star temporarily increases its luminosity several thousand times its normal level, providing us with a unique chance to see it.

“Once its brightness peaks, it should be visible to the unaided eye for several days and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again, possibly for another 80 years,” says NASA. T CrB is only one of five recurring novas in our galaxy, and its structure as a binary system with a white dwarf and red giant is what makes it go nova every 80 years.

More:
https://mymodernmet.com/nasa-nova-t-coronae-borealis/