Stargazers and sky watchers have already been treated to a stunning spectacle of celestial events in 2024: the total solar eclipse, the return of the ‘devilish comet’ and several nights colored by the Northern Lights are undoubtedly at the top of the list for some.
But if that’s not enough for you, space experts say another stellar sighting awaits: a rare nova explosion that will bring a “new star” to the night sky.
Earlier this year, NASA reported that a galaxy about 3,000 light-years away is expected to erupt.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create many new astronomers, giving young people a cosmic event that they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions and collect their own data,” Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. “It will fuel the next generation of scientists.”
Here’s what you need to know.
T CrB’s ‘rare nova explosion’
About every 79 years, an explosive event occurs in the Northern Crown, a binary star system about 3,000 light-years away from Earth. Nestled in the galaxy is the nova, T Coronae Borealis, also known as the Blaze Star or T CrB.
T CrB is one of 10 recurring novae that scientists have found in the Milky Way, Bill Cooke, NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office Lead at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, previously told Nexstar.
These novae, the plural of nova, consist “of a normal or red giant star and an Earth-sized white dwarf,” Cooke explained. “The larger star is dumping material on the surface of its white dwarf companion; as material accumulates, the temperature continues to rise until a thermonuclear runaway is initiated.
That will then cause T CrB to erupt, or ‘go nova’.
What happens when T-CrB explodes?
Unlike a supernova – which is a “final, titanic explosion” – T CrB’s white dwarf will remain intact during this nova event, Dr. Hounsell out. Instead, it launches the material that has collected on it and hurls it into space.
It will all lead to a flash so bright that we can see it on Earth, even with the naked eye. The last time we had such an opportunity was in 1946.
What does T CrB look like from Earth, and how can I see it?
When it reaches nova status, T CrB will appear as a “new star” in the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown.
To find T CrB, look between the constellations Hercules and Boötes, located in the north. More specifically, it will be roughly in line with Vega and Arcturus, according to NASA’s guide below.
According to Cooke, T CrB will be as bright as the North Star – but only for about a week. Unless you’re in Antarctica, you should be able to catch a glimpse of it.
When will the ‘new star’ appear?
Unlike the solar eclipse, scientists don’t know when exactly the rare nova event will occur.
Over the past decade, T CrB’s behavior has been “strikingly similar” to its behavior in the years leading up to the 1946 eruption, NASA said earlier this month. That has led some researchers to predict the explosion will occur in September, but others warn it could take longer.
NASA and astronomers around the world are watching the nova. They also rely on citizen astronomers and space enthusiasts to alert them to any changes they see.
Whenever you catch a glimpse of T CrB, remember: the explosion actually happened 3,000 years ago.