Congratulations if you had the opportunity to observe (with special lenses) the total solar eclipse, although let us tell you that it is very likely that this 2024 you will enjoy another cosmic event that will leave you speechless: the explosion of a nova that will be seen from the planet Earth!
As reported New York PostNASA explained that it is the explosion of the nova T Coronae Borealis located in a star system 3 thousand light years from our blue planet and that according to astronomers, will be an event ‘visible to the unaided eye’ and a ‘once in a lifetime observation opportunity’ and of course it will be.
Despite the good news, Bill Cooke, leader of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO), does not know exactly when the meteoroid boom will occur. ‘the burning star’unlike phenomena such as eclipses.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know the timing of this as well as we know the eclipse. But when it happens, it will be something you’ll remember,” he assured.
NASA reveals the secrets of nova explosions
“A typical nova consists of a star, such as a red giant (a star larger than the Sun) and a white dwarf, which is an Earth-sized star. And that red giant is spewing material onto the surface of that dwarf. white. They are orbiting each other and are very close together”, Cooke said.
Bill stressed that when enough material is poured onto the surface of the white dwarf, the temperature increases so much that a thermonuclear track is initiated on its surface.
“When that happens, that white dwarf expels all that material into space and it becomes very bright, hundreds of times brighter than it was before. And if it is close to us or relatively close to us, we will see a new beginning appear in our sky,” Cooke said.
Nova T Coronae Borealis explosion occurs almost every 79 years
Bill Cooke explained that this is an event of great value, as it occurs approximately every 79 years; The last time it exploded was in 1946.
Astronomers emphasize that T Coronae Borealis actually exploded three thousand years agojust when the Bronze Age was ending, however, it took all that time for the light to reach here, so only 78 years ago its flash could be observed.
Cooke stated that the brightness of the explosion will be almost equal to that emanating from Polaris, the ‘Polar Star’.
“Suddenly you will see a new star appear there. It will seem to appear out of nowhere and will remain visible for about a week before it dims again,” he added.
Don’t miss this impressive cosmic event!
“Please note that you will only have a few days to see it,” commented Cooke, who added that the explosion will eventually ‘go away.’
With information from New York Post
