Nova or Supernova? A single explosion will be visible to the naked eye in 2024

According to the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), astronomy enthusiasts will be able to observe a major astronomy event in 2024; This is a nova, a phenomenon similar to a supernova. Scientists point out that the star T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), also called the ‘Bright Star’, may experience a big explosion in the coming months.

Learn more: Scientists detect so-called supernova that nearly destroyed the Solar System

Just like humans, stars have a limited lifespan. After a stellar body consumes its fuel, it expands until it becomes a red giant, and when the remaining chemical elements in its composition are exhausted, it turns into a white dwarf. From this stage, it gets stuck in the universe until it causes an explosion that may or may not be visible to the naked eye from Earth..

The biggest difference between a nova and a supernova is that a nova does not explode completely, it can continue on its way as a white dwarf star after a thermonuclear reaction and cause further explosions.

This is the case of the star T Coronae Borealis, which had its last outburst in mid-1946.Astronomical data indicate that the next explosive reaction will occur in September 2024, so it will not last very long.

“This repeating nova is only one of five in our galaxy. That’s because T CrB is a binary system consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant. The stars are so close that the red giant is about to become unstable due to increasing temperature and pressure, causing it to shed its outer layers.” As it begins, the white dwarf collects this material on its surface,” NASA emphasizes.

New: T Coronae Borealis

The star in question is located approximately 3 thousand light years from Earth, in a star system characterized by magnitude +10. This means that the spatial region is too dark to observe T CrB with the naked eye. However, the explosion will leave the system at magnitude +2 and allow observation.

T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is a repeating nova; It is a star with different explosions that are not exactly periodic. It has experienced two eruptions: 1866 and 1946. It is expected to erupt “soon”, maybe this year!

Images: Artistic rendering ESO/M.Kornmesser – CrB constellation, AAVSO pic.twitter.com/qWwrl3KCjw

— Xavi Brothers (@Xavi_Bros) February 29, 2024

NASA reveals when nova’s explosion reaches its peakEnthusiasts will be able to observe it with the naked eye for several days; It will be possible to watch the star for more than a week with the use of a telescope or binoculars. The event will be very important for astronomy fans as well as observations of scientists who will examine nova reaction processes more closely.

NASA adds: “Since nova explosions only occur once every 80 years, this could be a unique observation opportunity… The white dwarf’s shallow, dense atmosphere eventually becomes hot enough to cause a runaway thermonuclear reaction—producing the nova we see from Earth, ” adds NASA.

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