New star to illuminate summer sky in rare astronomical event
This summer, an explosion will occur in the constellation Corona Borealis, causing a bright new star to appear in the sky, visible to the naked eye. Such events are incredibly rare and occur on average once every 80 years.
The modest Corona Borealis constellation will capture astronomy enthusiasts' attention this year. A "new" star may soon appear there. In astronomy, the term "new" refers to a star that explodes and rapidly increases its brightness thousands of times in a short period.
Each year, Several to a dozen "new" stars are discovered in our galaxy. However, only a few reach the brightness required to be seen without a telescope.
This is why the astronomy community is extremely excited about the upcoming explosion in the constellation Corona Borealis. As a result of this phenomenon, a new, bright star will appear in the sky, visible to the naked eye.
The TCrB star will explode this summer
Corona Borealis is located between the constellations Hercules and Boötes and rises high above the southern horizon after dusk. It consists of seven stars that form an arc resembling a string of pearls, a diadem, or a crown. The explosion will occur in the binary system T Coronae Borealis (abbreviated T CrB), located approximately 900 parsecs from Earth.
How to quickly and easily locate Corona Borealis? The best way is to find two bright stars. The first one is Arcturus, situated in the extension of the handle of the Big Dipper, and Vega, which lies east of it.
The binary system T CrB, where an explosion is expected, consists of two stars orbiting each other. Such a phenomenon is rare, especially when the star's brightness increases to the point where it can be seen without a telescope.
T CrB is a tight system of two stars, of which one is a red giant, and the other is a white dwarf. These stars are very close to each other, and the white dwarf, being extremely compact and dense, attracts material, primarily hydrogen, escaping from the neighbouring giant. When the accumulated hydrogen layer exceeds the critical mass, it triggers a chain reaction and a thermonuclear explosion of a giant hydrogen bomb.
When will the explosion occur?
The exact date is unknown, but certain clues suggest the explosion will occur this summer. T CrB explodes roughly every 80 years. It was first observed by Burchard of Ursperg, a German priest and chronicler, who wrote about a faint star that shone with great light in the autumn of 1217. Later observations were recorded in 1787, 1866, and most recently, 1946.
According to a study by scientists led by Bradley Schaefer from Louisiana State University, the explosion could happen at any moment but no later than September this year. However, the decisive factor will be whether the system behaves according to the pattern observed in 1946. New stars can be unpredictable and sometimes act differently from previous observations.
NASA's Fermi space telescope (which records gamma radiation) and the Webb space telescope, along with the orbital observatories Swift, IXPE, NuSTAR, NICER, and ESA's INTEGRAL, are preparing for observations.
