Stargazers and skygazers have been treated to a stunning show of celestial events as far back as 2024: a total solar eclipse, the return of the ‘Devil’s Comet’ and a host of nights colored by the Northern Lights undoubtedly top the list for some.
But if that’s not enough for you, space experts say we’re in for another stellar sighting: a rare new explosion that will bring a “new star” to the night sky.
Earlier this year, NASA announced that a star system about 3,000 light-years away is expected to explode.
“This is 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 Rebecca Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in new developments at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. “This will feed the next generation of scientists.”
Here’s what you need to know.
T CrB’s ‘Rare New Explosion’
About every 79 years, there is an explosive event in the Northern Corona, a binary system roughly 3,000 light-years from Earth. Nestled within the star system is the new one, T Coronae Borealis, also known as the Flaming Star or T CrB.
T CrB is one of 10 repeating novae scientists have discovered in the galaxy, Bill Cook, head of NASA’s meteoroid environments office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, told Nexstar.
These novae, plural of nova, consist of “a normal or red giant star and an Earth-sized white dwarf,” Cook explained. “The larger star is ejecting material onto the surface of its white dwarf companion; as the material accumulates, the temperature continues to rise until fusion begins.
This will cause the T CrB to erupt or ‘go nova’.
What happens when T CrB explodes?
Unlike a supernova – which is a “final, titanic explosion” – the T CrB white dwarf will remain intact during this new event, Dr Hounsell explained. Instead, it ejects the material that has accumulated on it, ejecting it into space.
All of this will result in a flash bright enough for us to see on Earth, even with the naked eye. The last time we had such a chance was in 1946.
What will T CrB look like from Earth and how can I see it?
When it reaches nova status, T CrB will appear as a “nova star” in the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Corona.
To find T CrB, you’ll want to look between the constellations Hercules and Volovar, located to the north. Specifically, according to the guide below from NASA, it will be roughly aligned with Vega and Arcturus.
According to Cook, 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 then.
When will the “new star” appear?
Unlike a solar eclipse, scientists don’t know exactly when the rare new event will occur.
Over the past decade, T CrB’s behavior has been “strikingly similar” to its behavior in the years leading up to its 1946 eruption, NASA said earlier this month. This has led some researchers to predict that the explosion will happen by September, but others warn that it could take longer.
NASA, as well as astronomers around the world, kept an eye on 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, just remember – the explosion actually happened 3,000 years ago.
