Rare star explosion could be seen with the naked eye in 2024

The big news in the field of astronomy in recent weeks was the total solar eclipse, but NASA just announced that there will be an even more spectacular event happening later this year. It's a star explosion T Coronae Borealis, located 3 thousand light years from our planet! Find out more below.

Understand the phenomenon

Scheduled to take place by September this year,

The white dwarf star called T Coronae Bortalis, or T CrB, is about to experience a unique phenomenon, expected to happen by September this year: a new class eruption, which according to scientists happens every 80 years. And the best part: it will be possible to see it from here on Earth!

The last time the explosion happened was in 1946, and the NASA believes that its magnitude will be much greater now in 2024, so much so that even very far from our planet, the explosion can be seen by us, with a degree of brightness equivalent to that of the North Star, also known as Polaris. The strength of the eruption will be so great that for a few days, possibly a week or more, you will be able to see the event in the sky without the aid of lenses, and for even longer through a telescope, once the brightness of the event reaches its highest point.

the constellation Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown, is small, semi-circular in shape, and lies between the constellations boots e Hercules. It is important to emphasize that the event that is about to occur is not the only new class explosion to occur in our galaxy; This is the fifth event of this magnitude. This is because the constellation has both a dwarf star and a red star.

The stars, being close enough to the red star, become destabilized due to the increase in temperature and pressure caused by this proximity. As a result, they begin to shed their outer layers, and their remains are deposited on the surface of these stars. From there, due to the rarefied atmosphere of the dwarf star and the increase in its temperature, a thermonuclear reaction occurs, the explosion that we will see from here on our planet and that will remain visible in the sky for so long in a unique event.

A NASA I already knew about the existence of the star before the announcement of its explosion, as it happened practically 80 years ago. The difference is that this event is very difficult to predict, and ironically, it is not part of the more than ten explosions of the type that are known by scientists at the US space agency, called by them “recurrent novae”.

By “new recurring” we are talking about an explosion that happens periodically. In the case of T Coronae Borealis, it is a perfect example of this incredible event.

William J. Cooke, NASA Environmental Meteoroid Program Manager

Based on mathematical calculations, NASA is able to have a satisfactory degree of certainty that the star's explosion will happen within a few months. This calculation is based on the fact that the last explosion happened in 1946, which puts 2024 within the time window for the event to occur again.

But there are also other signs that the T Coronae Borealis is about to erupt: before the nova, stars tend to become dimmer about a year before the explosion, and this has been happening with this star since March of last year. Knowing this, scientists have stipulated that we are about to experience the phenomenon again in a few months. Thanks to this stability of events, the new explosion of T Coronae Borealis can be accurately predicted.

According to Meredith MacGregor, an assistant professor of stellar activity who works with William H. Miller III in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at John Hopkins College, there are many other new-class explosions happening throughout outer space, but it is not known whether the vast Most of them will happen again. The time between repeated explosions in a new class can vary exponentially, happening within a year to millions: this is what Richard Townsend, professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the BBC when consulted.

Find out how to watch the explosion of the star T Coronae Borealis

Due to the fact that it has a magnitude greater than normal in terms of brightness, the explosion of T Coronae Borialis this year will be visible to the naked eye for Earth's inhabitants, says NASA. As previously explained, the degree of visibility of the dwarf star will be similar to that of Polaris, a star that is part of the luminous dots in the sky that have been delighting curious people and astronomers for centuries.

To watch this astronomical event, you must be at the North hemisphere. Anyone who wants to participate in this unique event, just look at the night sky during the star explosion and look for the Northern Crown — the Corona Borealis constellation — and that's where you'll find what researchers are describing as a bright new star, “a magnificent explosion,” as described by the space agency. The golden tip is to look for the constellations Hercules e boots, among them is the one you will want to observe!

I don't know about you, but I'm already looking forward to seeing it!

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Sources: with the BBC, NASA (1) And (2)

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 15 / 4 / 24.