Rare Star Explosion, Visible from Earth, Could Occur Any Day Now

“It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”

If you ever fancied seeing a supernova happen then your opportunity may well be imminent.

T Coronae Borealis or T CrB, the so-called “Blaze Star,” has been preparing for a very large nova that should just be visible from planetary observatories.

According to calculations by Brad Schaefer, a Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Louisiana State University, with data from the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)-amateur astronomers, this nova should arise some few months to May 2024.

T CrB is a binary star which is some 3,000 light years away from the Solar System and includes a white dwarf and a red giant star. Being the recurrent nova, the system goes through eruptions frequently and is different from supernova, which is the last burst of a star before it dies.

T CrB had its first recorded nova in the year 1217 after which German abbey leader Abbott Burchard observed “a faint star that for a time shone with great light. ” T CrB was recorded to have undergone two more novas, the most recent being in 1946. In fact, studies show that such an explosive eruption occurs nearly every 79 or 80 years and since the last three were recorded many years ago the next one is expected soon.

In March 2023 a slight drop in light output indicating the likely imminence of a nova was noted, it is known as “pre-eruption dip” in T CrB.

“While there are two or three novas that recur, with very short intervals, it is usually once in a living and hardly ever so soon in geologic time as in our own system,” explained Dr Rebekah Hounsell, Assistant Research Scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre and an expert on novas. ‘It is very exhilarating to have this opportunity to be right at the front row. ’

When the white dwarf T CrB goes nova it will become a very bright star in the night sky, it will be visible for a period of one week. To identify the presence of the phenomenon you would have to find the constellation Hercules, which lies in between two other apparent stars: Vega and Arcturus. Next to it is a U-like star association known as the Northern Crown which is T CrB’s home. After the explosion of the nova, it should be visible even with the naked eye of an observer because at that period its luminosity can not be concealed.

Usually, nova events are weak and occurring at large distances where it is difficult to determine where the emerging energy is localized, added Dr. Elizabeth Hays, Chief Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “This one is going to be quite tight and many observers will basically point their telescopes at this one across the electromagnetic spectrum, which should give us the data to understand how it is constructed and what processes are going on there,” said Matt. “It really is exciting to look forward to the full picture. ”

You have to wait for the updates when the nova starts.

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