T Coronae Borealis To Be As Bright as the North Star As It Travels Towards Earth for a ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime Event’

T Coronae Borealis to Be as Bright as the North Star as It Travels Towards Earth for a ‘Once-In-A-Lifetime Event’
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/David Ritter)

Stargazers should anticipate a rare celestial event anytime now as T Coronae Borealis approaches Earth.

T Coronae Borealis To Be as Bright as the North Star

The recurrent nova has been traveling towards Earth for thousands of years. It is expected to be any day, and it will be as bright as the North Star.

During the nova event, T Coronae Borealis is predicted to increase in brightness from magnitude 10+ to magnitude +2, matching that of the North Star. The higher the number on the magnitude scale, the dimmer the object. For instance, the full moon glows at -13.

North Star, also called "Polaris," isn't the most brilliant star in the night sky, but it's usually easy to spot even from a city. It might aid you in orienting and navigating the Northern Hemisphere because it points toward geographic or true north rather than magnetic north. Along the axis of rotation of our planet, Polaris is located roughly immediately above the north pole of Earth. This is the hypothetical line that emerges from the north and south poles of the planet. Earth spins like a spinning top around this line.

Meanwhile, according to Dr. Laura Driessen from the University of Sydney's School of Physics, T Coronae Borealis, also known as T Cor Bor, T CrB, and the Blaze star, will be as bright as Orion's right foot in the southern hemisphere.

T Coronae Borealis is made of a white dwarf and a red giant. The dense remains of a star that has run out of fuel are known as white dwarfs. The thick white dwarf companion draws in that stellar material as the red giant starts to heat up and shed its outer layers into space. As a result, the white dwarf warms up and becomes brighter, which is what we observe as a nova from Earth.

Approximately every 80 years, T CrB, a recurrent nova, is seen following a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star located approximately 3,000 light years away. NASA has referred to it as a "once-in-a-lifetime event" because of this.

More About the Blaze Star

T Coronae Borealis, or the "Blaze Star," last brightened in 1946. Astronomers have estimated that it may brighten once more between now and September 2024.

The Latin term "nova," meaning "new star," refers to this brightening event and describes how a previously dull star might suddenly become prominent and bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. On the days that it is visible to the unaided eye, it might be seen for more than a week with binoculars.

The nova will be seen in the Corona Borealis constellation, which can be challenging to locate. It can be seen as a tiny semicircle close to the Hercules and Boötes constellations.

You can also use an astronomy and stargazing app to locate the constellation. By observing the Coronae Borealis's location in the sky, you will get acquainted with it and be prepared to recognize the nova when it emerges.