A nova outburst visible to the naked eye is expected to decorate the night sky this year with a "new star" that will briefly become as bright as the North Star, offering a once-in-a-lifetime stargazing opportunity.
© NASAHow to find the C-shaped Corona Borealis constellation, located between Boötes and Hercules.
A nova outburst visible to the naked eye is expected to decorate the night sky this year, offering a rare skywatching opportunity.
The star system offering us this opportunity is known as
T Coronae Borealis (T CrB). It's located some 3,000 light-years away from Earth and consists of a red giant star and a white dwarf that orbit each other. When the
white dwarf steals enough stellar material from its red giant companion, it ignites a brief flash of nuclear fusion on its surface, triggering what is known as a
nova outburst.
The outburst will be visible in the constellation Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown, which forms a semicircle of stars. The outburst is expected to occur between February and September 2024 and appear as bright as the North Star in our night sky for no longer than a week before fading again, NASA officials said in
a statement.
"This could be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity as the nova outburst only occurs about every 80 years," NASA officials said in the statement.
This recurrent nova, which last exploded in 1946, is just one of five observed within the Milky Way galaxy. To spot the outburst, viewers should point their gaze to Corona Borealis, which lies between the constellations Boötes and Hercules. The outburst will appear as a bright "new" star in the night sky.
Comment: And apparently Bezos is involved. There's an obvious interest for him to replace all those workers, with their pesky bathroom breaks and human rights, with uncomplaining efficient robots. But one can't help but wonder if this bold new future will more resemble the Jetsons or Blade Runner (or I Robot, or Terminator, or The Matrix...).
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