Stargazers have had a busy year so far in 2024. There was a lot to see among the stars and planets. In April, many people in the United States could have a total eclipse of the sun. There will be one in the coming months nova of two stars. This week we will learn about some special words that you can use to talk about objects and events in the sky.
Visible to the naked eye
A nova is a star explosion. A pair of stars called T Corona Borealis, also called the ‘Blaze Star’, will become very bright so that people can see it almost anywhere on Earth, even in cities. Scientists say the event “visible with the naked eye” meaning you don’t need any special tools, like binoculars or a telescope, to see it. Visible is an adjective form related to the word “display.”
eruption
The two stars that make up Blaze Star produce a burst, or longer period of energy, about every 80 years. Rebekah Hounsell is an associate research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“We don’t see a repeated outburst very often in a human lifetime, and rarely one this close to our own system,” Hounsell said. Material from one star moves into the other, causing the explosion or burst of energy. This creates the bright light we see from Earth.
Constellation
Scientists say they don’t know exactly when we’ll be able to see the nova. But you’ll definitely hear about it on the news. Your next question might be, “How can I find it in the sky?” This is when you need to know the word “constellation” and how to find one in the sky. A constellation is a group of stars. Some constellations look like special shapes for people on earth. This year’s nova is located in the constellation Corona Borealis, or Northern Crown.
Between
There are many uses for the preposition “between” to talk about the upcoming nova and its constellation. If you draw an imaginary line between the stars you get a curved line that resembles a headdress worn by kings and queens. To find it, look for the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere, Arcturus and Vega. In the space between them are two constellations, Hercules and Bootes. Northern Crown is between them.
Totality
In April, people enjoyed another event in the sky: a total solar eclipse. The moon moved between the Earth and the sun, creating a shadow, or area of darkness, on Earth. The path of the moon’s shadow on Earth is called the “path of totality.” We can change an adjective like “total” to a noun with the suffix -ity. The resulting noun means the state or condition of what the adjective describes. For example, it is used with ‘active’ to form ‘activity’.
The next total solar eclipse on Earth will occur on August 12, 2026, and will be visible in Spain.
And that’s everyday grammar!
I’m Andrew Smith.
For more information about the nova, see our science story: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/nasa-nova-explosion-to-be-once-in-lifetime-event-in-night-sky/7664089. html
With the free online star map on this website you can find the constellations in the sky where you live.
Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for Learning English.
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Words in this story
eclipse – N. an occasion when the sun appears to be partially or completely covered with a dark circle because the moon is between the sun and the Earth
nova – N. a star that suddenly increases sharply in brightness and then becomes less bright again within a few months or years
visible – adjective possible to be seen
display – v. to look at (something) carefully
special – e.g.. is used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others
curved – e.g.. have a round shape
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