It will seem as if a new star lights up in the sky and will even be visible to the naked eye. Here’s everything you need to know.
Scientists around the world are anxiously awaiting an event of new cosmic phenomenon that will appear to add a “new star” to the night sky. The show, which is expected to occur between June and September, will be so bright that it will be visible to the naked eye. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event that they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions and collect their own data,” said Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, a research scientist at Goddard Space NASA Flight Center.
What we know about T Coronae Borealis
T Coronae Borealis – nicknamed “Blaze Star” and known simply as “T CrB” by astronomers – is a small binary star system located in the northern corona of the Milky Way about 3,000 light-years from Earth. It is made up of a white dwarf – a dead star the size of Earth but with a staggering mass equal to that of our sun – that is slowly stripping hydrogen from an ancient red giant.
How a nova originates
About every 80 years, hydrogen from the red giant accumulates on the white dwarf’s surface and eventually ignites a violent thermonuclear explosion which releases hydrogen into space in a fantastic light show. This event will appear to viewers on Earth as if a new star has risen in the sky. The last nova on T CrB dates back to 1946. The first sighting was recorded more than 800 years ago in Germany, where “a faint star that for a certain period shone very brightly” was identified, explains NASA.
When the explosion will occur
For a week, observers around the world will be able to see the explosion with the naked eye. At its peak, it will appear as if a new star has appeared in the sky. While it is possible that the nova could form after September, the binary system has recently shown similar behavior to that before the 1946 event, leading scientists to predict that it will occur by or shortly after the end of summer.
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