Nova star explosion: visible with the naked eye on Earth – when will it happen and how will we see it

A rare nova will soon be visible in Earth’s night sky, according to NASA officials.

Although they have not yet expected the exact day, scientists say that the phenomenon will be visible even with the naked eye, any day from now until September at the latest, and will continue for about a week.

The news caused excitement among astronomers, as even amateurs will be able to see it with a telescope or with the naked eye, if there is… darkness where they will be.

“We’re definitely seeing a lot of excitement as skywatchers await the expected new flare,” Claire Andreoli, director of astrophysics communications at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, told Yahoo News. He added: “It is rare that we have the opportunity to witness something like this with our own eyes.”

The explosion that will become visible is located 3,000 light-years from Earth, “T Coronae Borealis” (T CrB), nicknamed the Blaze Star, is a binary star system in the Coronae Borealis constellation.

In this binary system, the dead star and the slowly dying star (known as a “red giant”) are gravitationally bound together. Every 80 years or so, hydrogen from the “red giant” fuses with the surface of the white dwarf, building up pressure and heat, resulting in a thermonuclear explosion.

The last time a T CrB nova was seen from Earth was in 1946.

“T CrB is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” the doctor said. Rebecca Hausen, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “This event will inspire a new generation of astronomers as everyone can participate in observing this amazing astronomical event.”

How can one see a nova explosion?

When T CrB becomes supernova, it will be visible to the naked eye for about a week.

According to NASA, to see it one must first locate the constellation Hercules and then look west for the Northern Crown, a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars.

“The Northern Hemisphere can be identified by locating the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere, Arcturus and Vega,” NASA says.

“In fact, we are trying to manage expectations and give people as much information as possible so that they are prepared to witness this once-in-a-lifetime cosmic spectacle,” Andreoli added.

To be able to see this phenomenon, one must stay away from city lights or anything that lights up the night sky. Ideally, it would be on a dark road to see the explosion, as long as the weather is conducive and there is no cloud cover.

Sites like Good to Stargaze can tell you whether or not your location’s forecast is suitable for stargazing.

For those interested in viewing the phenomenon without searching for… constellations, there are applications, such as Sky Guide, that use AR technology to turn the phone into a map of the stars.

Source: iefimerida.gr

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