This time last year, astrophiles were gearing up for a "once-in-a-lifetime" spectacle—only it never happened. The celestial event in question? The explosion of a nova star called T Coronae Borealis (T Crb for short), also known as the 'Blaze Star.' T Crb is one of five recurring novas in our galaxy, and it hasn’t combusted since 1946, per a blog by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). However, experts predict that all could change in the coming days.
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But first, a quick refresher: T CrB is a binary star system, which means it’s made up of both a white dwarf and a red giant. (For context, a white dwarf is the remaining part of a star that’s burned through its nuclear fuel, while a red giant is a star whose core turns helium into carbon, per NASA.) As gravity draws them together, the white dwarf heats up and absorbs "a stream of material" from the red giant. The dwarf’s shallow yet condensed ether then triggers a thermonuclear reaction, resulting in a nova explosion.
"This process causes the star to brighten by more than 1,000 times, creating the illusion of a 'new star' in the sky," adds Space.com
Now, when this happens, T Crb’s magnitude skyrockets from a magnitude of +10 to a magnitude of +2. To give you a visual, that’s about the same magnitude as Polaris, also known as the North Star. The brightest star in the night sky belongs to Sirius, or "Dog Star," whose magnitude is -1.46, says Space.com.
Astronomers believe that T Crb is 3,000 light-years away from Earth. When you put it in those terms, you can envision just how brilliant an exploding star of this nature will be.
(And in case you’re wondering, the magnitude of the sun is -26.74.)
As for when you can expect T Crb to light up the night sky, DailyGalaxy predicts the nova explosion will occur this Thursday, March 27. "Corona Borealis will rise in the eastern sky about three hours after sunset," says Space.com. The phenomenon will become "easily visible around four hours after sunset."
At its peak brightness, T Crb could be visible to the naked human eye. However, using binoculars or a telescope could increase your chances of spotting the exploding star. Either way, you’ll need to know where to look in the sky.
According to Space.com, Corona Borealis will be located between the star Vega, rising in the northeast, and the star Arcturus, rising in the east. Remember that it will resemble the shape of a semicircle, consisting of seven stars. The brightest one will be T Crb.
It "will briefly outshine its neighbors, appearing as an extra-bright star just outside the crescent, close to a star called Epsilon CrB, the constellation’s fifth brightest."
But as with any celestial display, your best view will happen in an area with limited obstructions (i.e. bright city lights, tall buildings, cloudy conditions, and trees). T Crb isn’t expected to explode for another 80 years, so mark your calendars—it’s an event you won’t want to miss.
