A new star will appear in the night sky soon – but not for long
A ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ is heading your way and all you have to do is look up.
Or it might be twice in a lifetime, if you’re lucky.
Sometime between now and September, a ‘new’ star will appear in the sky – but only for a week.
That’s because around 3,000 light-years away, the star system T Coronae Borealis, or T Cr B, is about to explode. When it does, it will become visible to the naked eye here on Earth.
T Cr B last exploded in 1946, meaning some who saw it then could witness it again now – and many more will hopefully be around when it explodes again in another 80 or so years.
Astronomers predict that when it does erupt, it may be as bright as the North Star, Polaris.
As its brightness peaks, it should be visible to the naked eye for several days, and just over a week if you use binoculars before it dims again.
Astronomers at Nasa say the temporary new star will be located in the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown, which is a small, semicircular arc near Bootes and Hercules.
This recurring nova is one of five in our galaxy, and forms when a white dwarf and a red giant are close enough that when the red giant becomes unstable from increasing temperature and pressure, it ejects its outer layers, which the white dwarf collects onto its surface.
The matter heats up until it reaches a certain point, when a nuclear reaction and sets up a massive almost apocalyptic blast.
This doesn’t destroy the star like a supernova would, however, and after the nova cools down, the cycle begins again as the white dwarf gears up towards another explosion.
Historical reports show the nova was spotted in 1946, but it was first ‘seen ‘discovered’ in 1866 by Irish astronomer John Birmingham. However, reports also mention seeing the nova in 1787 and 1217.
Observations of T Cr B show that the nova acted erratically in the lead-up to its eruption, and its activity over the past decade suggests its gearing up for an explosion.
It’s definitely one to keep an eye on.