A New Star (Nova Explosion) in the Coming Months

[walterpthefirst]

View Nova Explosion, ‘New’ Star in Northern Crown – Watch the Skies (nasa.gov)

 

You can find the constellation of Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown) from where you live by visiting this site.

 

Stellarium Web Online Star Map (stellarium-web.org)

 

 

T Coronae Borealis - Wikipedia

 

On 20 April 2016, the Sky & Telescope website reported a sustained brightening since February 2015 from magnitude 10.5 to about 9.2. A similar event was reported in 1938, followed by another outburst in 1946.  By June 2018, the star had dimmed slightly but still remained at an unusually high level of activity. In March or April 2023, it dimmed to magnitude 12.3.  A similar dimming occurred in the year before the 1946 outburst, indicating that it will likely erupt between March and September 2024.

 

So the star in question seems to be going through the same cycle of activity that preceded its 1946 eruption.  

 

Keep looking up!

 

 

Thanks,

 

Walter.

[☆ pantheory ☆]

1 hour ago, walterpthefirst said:

View Nova Explosion, ‘New’ Star in Northern Crown – Watch the Skies (nasa.gov)

 

You can find the constellation of Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown) from where you live by visiting this site.

 

Stellarium Web Online Star Map (stellarium-web.org)

 

T Coronae Borealis - Wikipedia

 

On 20 April 2016, the Sky & Telescope website reported a sustained brightening since February 2015 from magnitude 10.5 to about 9.2. A similar event was reported in 1938, followed by another outburst in 1946.  By June 2018, the star had dimmed slightly but still remained at an unusually high level of activity. In March or April 2023, it dimmed to magnitude 12.3.  A similar dimming occurred in the year before the 1946 outburst, indicating that it will likely erupt between March and September 2024.

 

So the star in question seems to be going through the same cycle of activity that preceded its 1946 eruption.  

 

Keep looking up!

 

Thanks,

 

Walter.

 

I wonder if it has ever been speculated as being the beginnings of a supernova someday? ...  since the system is comprised of a red giant and a white dwarf star according to the link.

[walterpthefirst]

The mechanism of recurring novae and type 1A supernovae appear to be the same, Pantheory.

 

The siphoning off of gas from a donor star to its white dwarf companion.

 

Beyond that I don't know.

[walterpthefirst]

Scientists have refined their estimate of when the star T Coronae Borealis will go nova.

 

They give a window of April to September this year.  This might sound a bit vague, but please remember that this star is a recurrent nova, exploding (approximately) every 79/80 years.  The estimate is based upon observations of the nova eruptions it underwent in 1866 and 1946.

 

In a recurrent nova system a small, dense star in a close orbit around a larger, less-dense primary star sucks material off the larger star.  This material builds up on the surface on the smaller star, adding heat and pressure to it until a trigger point is reached.  Then a runaway thermonuclear explosion takes place, which we from Earth see as a nova (literally, 'new star').

 

This link carries some nice videos of the recurrent nova cycle.

 

https://www.space.com/blaze-star-coronae-borealis-where-to-look-march-2025

 

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

Walter.