The star system, located about 3,000 light-years from Earth, will soon be visible to the naked eye.
From our perspective as Earthlings, this will result in the appearance of a new star in the night sky.
The last time the T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) system came to light was in 1946! As for his next cosmic show, it won’t be before the year 2104. Suffice it to say it would be a shame to miss such an event these days! A stellar explosion, commonly called a nova, is not exceptional. But it’s rare to see such a view from Earth, with just your eyes, with the help of a telescope. In this case, this will result in the momentary appearance of a new point of light in the night sky.
T CrB is a star system located approximately 3000 light-years (one light-year is 9460 billion kilometers) from Earth. As in the animation above, it is home to two stars (a white dwarf and a red giant, for the experts) that orbit each other. When a white dwarf steals enough stellar matter from its companion, it triggers a brief flash of nuclear fusion on its surface, a nova, and then becomes extremely bright, NASA explains on its website.
When and where to look in the sky?
From Earth, the T CrB system will appear as bright as Alpha Ursa Minoris, better known as the North Star. Astronomers don’t know exactly when the nova will happen, but it should happen between March and September 2024. The “new star” (figuratively speaking, because it already exists) will appear in the constellation Corona Borealis from our perspective of Earth. . Once its maximum brightness is reached, it should remain visible for several days, before darkening again, perhaps for another 80 years.
