Are you ready for another once-in-a-lifetime event? In the wake of April 8’s total solar eclipse—a one-off in the lives of most of the 32 million Americans who lived in the path of totality that day—you might be forgiven for thinking that the cosmos couldn’t offer much else to compete.
How about a nova, a kind of “supernova-lite,” that’s about to go off in one of the most beautiful constellations in the night sky?
It’s not happened since 1946, since where there have been 53 total solar eclipses somewhere on Earth.
Here’s everything you need to know about T Coronae Borealis, the “Blaze Star,” which everyone will soon be talking about:
The ‘Blaze Star’ Explained
T Coronae Borealis is a star of no importance—usually. T CrB, for short, is about 3,000 light-years from the solar system in the constellation Corona Borealis, one of the loveliest constellations to find in the night sky between May and September.
That’s crucial because T CrB is what astronomers call a “recurrent nova.” Although it’s visually one dim star in a pair of binoculars, every 80 years, it balloons in brightness to become visible to the naked eye.
That 80 years is up now, with T CrB predicted to “go nova” during 2024. Let’s hope it happens soon because Corona Borealis is now in the night sky.
How To Find Corona Borealis
T CrB is found within the horseshoe-shaped constellation of Corona Borealis, also called the Northern Crown. This curl of stars is found between the two constellations of Boötes and Hercules. Here’s how to find it:
- Go outside at 10 p.m. tonight, wherever you are in the northern hemisphere.
- Find The Big Dipper high in the northwestern sky and follow the curve of its handle, taking an “arc to Arcturus,” a bright star above due east.
- Trace a line from Arcturus down to a bright star, Vega, close to the northeastern horizon.
- Halfway between the two is a curve of seven stars—Corona Borealis.
It’s arguably wise to get to know Corona Borealis well in the run-up to the “Blaze Star” brightening. If you don’t, it won’t have as much impact on you. That’s because although the star will dramatically brighten, it won’t be scorch-your-eyes-out bright. In fact, there will still be 100 other stars in the night sky that are brighter. However, in its patch of sky—which, incidentally, is packed with other sights to explore—it will look impressively strange.
Why The ‘Blaze Star’ Will Explode
Although T CrB looks like one star in a pair of binoculars and will, when it brightens, it still looks like one brighter point of light; it’s actually two stars orbiting each other. That may sound strange, but it’s incredibly common in the night sky. T CrB comprises a massive, cool red giant star and a smaller, hotter white dwarf star.
As part of its end-of-life process, every 80 years the slowly dying red giant expels matter, which the white dwarf sucks onto its surface. When it reaches a critical mass, it triggers a massive explosion and a huge increase in the latter’s brightness. That’s a nova—an explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star.
Known about since 1866, the nova explosion of T CrB was last observed in 1946, before which a slight dimming was detected. That’s exactly what happened in 2023, leading astronomers to predict that T CrB will explode, right on cue, between April and September 2024.
When it does, it will shine brightly for only a short while. It’s best to be prepared right now.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
