This is what it could look like during the unlikely duo’s nova almost 3,000 light-years away – an artistic representation based on scientific facts. (Source: NASA)
Some things truly only happen once during your life. The starburst is such a unique event. And you shouldn’t miss it!
T Corona Borealis
According to all observations, it will explode this year and compete with the Polar Star, visible to the naked eye.
With the help of an expert, we’ll explain everything important about the event and how you don’t miss the spectacle in the sky.
What is T Coronae Borealis and how does the nova occur?
Around 2,700 light-years away, a cosmic spectacle occurs about every 80 earthly years. T Coronae Borealis is a cataclysmically variable binary star that causes a nova approximately every 80 years. The unlikely pair is formed by a white dwarf and a red giant.
- White dwarf: The remnants of a star, tiny in cosmic comparison, but still extremely hot and all the more compact.
- Red giant: The final phase of a star, like our sun. It has bloated and continues to shed layers of its shell over time.
In the case of T Coronae Borealis, the white dwarf star, which orbits a common center with its big red brother, collects material on its surface.
This is primarily hydrogen. Above a certain amount, an explosive self-ignition occurs, in which hydrogen nuclei fuse with each other in a thermonuclear manner.
As a result, the perceived brightness of the pair increases dramatically for a short time – so much so that we can see them with the naked eye at night.
What remains afterwards? A black hole or a neutron star? Be careful when using the word nova, because a supernova is the fiery end of very massive stars, which then either leave behind a neutron star or collapse into a black hole.
Neither is the case here. A nova is a comparatively small event in which neither of the two stars involved disappears. At some point, after many more novae, only a white dwarf will remain of the star that is still a red giant today. Then the regular fireworks display ends and the Milky Way permanently loses its attraction.
Novae sind rar: T Coronae Borealis is therefore rare in the Milky Way and its neighboring galaxies, as our expert Andreas Vogel explains:
No other achieves such luminosity. The predictability with a period of around 80 years also makes this nova so special. On average, you can only watch this event once in your life.
So far we only know about ten periodically recurring novae. In 2024 it would happen again and the observations support it.
How likely is the nova and how do we predict it?
Vogel comments on this as follows:
In the last few outbreaks, there was the so-called one some time before Pre‑eruption-Dip
, that is, the star became significantly dimmer before the actual eruption. This is currently being observed again, so the probability of an outbreak is very high.
By around the end of September 2024, the nova in T Coronae Borealis will have occurred. It can take place every day or, as of May, only in a few weeks. Science and all astronomy enthusiasts are waiting eagerly.
How can I observe the nova in T Coronae Borealis?
Once the nova occurs, it will most likely be visible to the naked eye in the night sky for several days. Probably with binoculars as soon as the star dims again.
From May to September, the region of the sky you are looking for moves along the night sky quite far above the Europe horizon. For an overall overview and the changing position over the months, it’s best to take a look into these overview cards.
The exact location is slightly below the constellation Northern Crown can be found on this search map:
A tracing map for T Coronae Borealis. Look for the constellations mentioned and the nova should be visible in the middle of them. Source: Olbers Planetarium, Bremen
By the way: You may have seen a scenario like this before in Star Trek. Do you still remember the TNG episode? The power of nanites?
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There, Captain Picard’s crew has to contend with unexpectedly intelligent miniature robots that hinder the scientific on-site study of exactly such a nova.
And yes, of course Wesley has a hand in this misery, but also in its solution.
Speaking of Star Trek: In the article linked above you can find out what computing power Data has compared to current hardware.
Will you look to the sky when the news comes that the nova in T Coronae Borealis has actually occurred? Is real stargazing something for you? Or do you prefer to pursue your love of astronomy exclusively digitally? Feel free to write us your thoughts about it in the comments.
