Astronomers Say Star Will Go Nova Soon

Astronomers worldwide are eagerly anticipating a rare celestial event: a star exploding. Even better, the explosion and its remnants will be visible to the naked eye, and it will be visible from Florida.

The event centers around T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), a binary star system located approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis. This system, comprising a white dwarf and a red giant, is expected to undergo a nova outburst in the very near future.

Regular Event

T CrB, also known as the “Blaze Star,” has exhibited recurrent nova events approximately every 80 years, with the last recorded outburst occurring in 1946. During such events, the system’s brightness increases dramatically, making it temporarily visible without telescopic aid. The anticipated eruption has not yet occurred, but astronomers believe it is imminent.

Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, emphasized the significance of this phenomenon: “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.”

The T CrB system consists of a white dwarf—a dense, Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to our Sun—and an aging red giant. The white dwarf exerts a strong gravitational pull on its companion, siphoning hydrogen from the red giant’s outer layers. This accreted hydrogen accumulates on the white dwarf’s surface, leading to a buildup of pressure and heat. Once a critical threshold is reached, a thermonuclear explosion occurs, ejecting the accumulated material into space and causing a significant increase in brightness.

Unlike a supernova, which signifies the catastrophic death of a star, a nova explosion does not destroy the white dwarf. Instead, the cycle of accretion and explosion can repeat over time, potentially continuing for tens of thousands of years. In other words, you and I won’t be around to see it, and it is likely to be an event that great grandkids will experience for themselves sometime in the 22nd century.

Impossible To Say EXACTLY When This Will Occur

Predicting the exact timing of such nova events is challenging. However, based on historical patterns and recent observations, astronomers estimate that T CrB’s next eruption could occur between now and 2026. This estimation aligns with the system’s observed 80-year cycle, following its previous outbursts in 1866 and 1946. As far as what day between now and then, no one knows.

When the nova occurs, T CrB is expected to reach a visual magnitude of approximately 2.0, making it one of the brighter stars in the night sky during the event. The increased brightness will last for about a week, providing ample opportunity for both professional and amateur astronomers to observe and study the phenomenon.

To see the T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) nova explosion from Florida, look for the constellation Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown) between the bright stars Vega and Arcturus, which rises after 10pm in April. Once the nova erupts, it will be a bright, new star visible to the naked eye for a short time. 

Locating τ Coronae Borealis

This chart from Florida Atlantic University tells you where to look in the night sky:

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