Over the next few months, the show could light up the northern sky. There, in the constellation Corona Borealis, at a distance of more than 2,500 light-years, a star called lurks. T Coronae BorealisThis will lead to an explosion that will temporarily make the star one of the brightest objects in the night. sky.

Astronomers are eagerly awaiting its explosion, not only because it would be surprising, but also because of the large amount of data we can collect about a type of star explosion called a classical nova.

The reason we know that T Coronae Borealis (T CrB for short) will erupt is because it has been happening every 80 years for at least eight centuries. This means that this is very close to a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the technology we have to observe is far superior to what we had on the last trip in February 1946.

“There are a few recurring novae with very short cycles, but we generally don’t see a recurring flare within a human lifetime, and rarely do we see a flare this close to our own system,” says astronomer Rebecca Hounsell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight. centre.

“Having that front row seat is incredibly exciting.”

Not to be confused with the near destruction of stars in disasters known as supernovae, classical novae are smaller explosions that leave the star more or less intact. In fact, this is not the first time this particular space object has gone through such an experience.

The reason why T CrB explodes repeatedly and on time is due to the variability of star type. It is a binary star system containing the remains of a Sun-like star called a white dwarf and the collapsed core of its plump red giant companion.

White dwarfs are very small and very dense, about the size of the Earth and the Moon, packing the same mass as 1.4 Suns. This means that they are very gravitationally dense; and if they have a binary companion in a close enough orbit, they tend to eject material, mostly hydrogen.

Over time, this hydrogen accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf and is compressed downward due to gravitational pull. Eventually, the pressure and heat on the lower hydrogen layer become so intense that the whole thing explodes in a relentless thermonuclear explosion that blasts the excess hydrogen into space in spectacular fashion.

This is new; For T CrB, the time required for this process is approximately 80 years.

Over the past decade, astronomers have observed the binary system’s behavior similar to its behavior before the 1946 explosion; specifically, a decrease in brightness that heralds an imminent explosion. Their analysis shows that this could happen very soon, as early as September 2024.

This means astronomers are closely monitoring a small area of ​​the sky filled with constellations like Lyra, Hercules, Volops, and a small arc of stars sandwiched between them. This is Corona Borealis.

We expect to hear new news almost as soon as it happens. It blooms in the sky, visible to the naked eye, and slowly disappears within a week. So you should have time to get out there and check if you like it.

Actually that would be great if you could. Citizen scientists are also encouraged to collect data. The more eyes we have on T CrB, the better we can appreciate their bright glow. And of course, as many telescopes as can be arranged will be built, from the longest radio waves to the most powerful X-rays and gamma rays.

“Recurring novae are unpredictable and controversial,” says astrophysicist Koji Mukai of NASA Goddard. “Just when you think there is no reason for them to follow a particular pattern, they do; and as soon as you start to trust that they will repeat the same pattern, they completely deviate from that. We’ll see how T CrB behaves.’