lNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)for its acronym in English) announced that during This summer, the entire world will be able to see a “once in a lifetime” event. This is a nova of the type, occurring in a small constellation. According to experts, it will attract a new generation of astronomers.
In a press release, The NASA She noted that the exact date of this event is unknown, but it will be in the northern summer or at the latest in the fall. For Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, a researcher at the space agency, It is “a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create many new astronomers.”giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data.”
As they explained, The “Blaze star” is a binary system located in the Northern Crown, about 3,000 light years from Earth. It is composed of a “white dwarf” – an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to that of our Sun – and an “old red giant”, the latter of which is losing its hydrogen due to the gravitational pull of the former.
“Hydrogen from the red giant accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf, causing a buildup of pressure and heat,” he said. “Over time, it triggers an explosion.” thermonuclear large enough to blow up that accumulated material“, he added.
Dr Hounsell He explained that a nova event should not be confused with a supernova. The latter is known as “a final, titanic explosion that destroys some dying stars,” he said. In the former, the dwarf star remains intact, sending the accumulated material into space in a blinding flash.
This event has already occurred before and specialists indicated where to look for it.
The T CrB nova, as the event that will happen this year is known, was first seen in 1217 in Germany and the last time it occurred was in 1946. Thanks to the patterns, it is known that September 2024 would be the next opportunity to witness the event.
What is there to look for in heaven?
During this event, People should look for the “Northern Crown,” a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars west of the constellation Hercules. According to specialists, it is much better seen at night. To identify it, you have to locate the two brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, Arcturus and Vega, between the two of them will be the point of the explosion. You don’t need a telescope, but you can see it with the naked eye.
Despite the expectation, the month of September may pass without the phenomenon being visualized. “Recurring novae are unpredictable and contrary,” said Koji Mukai, an astrophysics researcher at NASA. “When you think there can’t be a reason for them to follow a certain pattern, they do., and as soon as you start trusting them to repeat the same pattern, they deviate from it completely. We will see how T CrB behaves,” she said.
How frequent is a nova explosion?
According to NASA, astronomers believe that the frequency with which a nova explosion occurs is not that recurrent. They explain that on average every 80 years or at the end of the century About two or three supernovae occur in galaxies in our Milky Way.
However, they explain that the universe contains several galaxies. “A few hundred supernovae are observed per year outside our galaxy. Space dust blocks our view of most,” NASA says.
How bright can they be?
Additionally, novas are events that generate a show that generates a series of lights.
“These spectacular events can be so bright “They can outshine their entire galaxies for days or even months. They can be seen throughout the universe,” says the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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