If you’re an astrophile, you may remember earlier this year reading about a “once-in-a-lifetime” nova outburst that would cast a bright white light upon the galaxy and paint streaks of pale orange across the night sky. Well, that day has nearly come. At the start of summer, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) predicted that a nova called T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB for short, would explode by Sept. 2024—but so far, nothing has happened. And now that September is drawing to a close, stargazers everywhere are waiting with bated breath for this “rare nova explosion” to occur.
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When this nighttime spectacular does take place, it will be for the first time in 78 years that T CrB has burst. The explosion will be so brilliant that it will be visible to the naked eye, making the occasion a significant event for aspiring astronomers and space experts. In fact, T CrB even has a nickname: Blaze Star.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data. It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists,” Rebekah Hounsell, PhD, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a press release.
The Blaze Star is actually considered a binary star system because it consists of both a red giant and white dwarf. The red giant radiates hydrogen, resulting in a build-up of pressure and heat on the white dwarf’s surface due to the objects’ proximity, which is only getting closer and closer because of gravity. At some point, this triggers “a thermonuclear explosion big enough to blast away that accreted material,” otherwise known as a nova explosion, explains NASA.
T CrB is one of five known recurring novas in the Milky Way Galaxy, and arguably the most famous. Because future T CrB nova explosions are unknown at this point, space experts are encouraging stargazers to stay alert for a phenomenon that may not occur again in this lifetime.
“There are a few recurrent novae with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” said Hounsell. “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”
T CrB is located within the “Northern Crown,” a cluster of seven stars that make up the constellation Corona Borealis. According to NASA, the Northern Crown sits about 3,000 light-years from Earth—but don’t be fooled, the Blaze Star will still be very much visible to us.
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As with any cosmic event, your odds of visibility increase in remote, non-polluted areas that aren’t obstructed by tall trees, skyscrapers, or city lights.
First, you’ll want to locate the stars Arcturus and Vega. These are considered the two brightest stars in the Northern hemisphere, per NASA. If you draw a straight line from Arcturus to Vega, you’ll land on the constellation Hercules. Now, west of Hercules is a “horse-shaped curve of stars.” That’s the Northern Crown and where the explosion will occur.
The nova explosion will be brief, but its aftermath will be visible for up to a week! Expect to see a dazzling display of pale orange.
