Nova Alert: NASA Anticipates the Creation of a ‘New Star’ 

United States: NASA and astronomers say that, due to a supernova explosion now estimated to have happened years ago somewhere between now and September, a “new star” could appear in the skies at any moment. 

According to Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data,” as CNN reported. 

“It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists,” she added, 

More about the phenomenon 

The expected phenomenon referred to as nova will be observed in the galaxy of Milky Way in the Corona Borealis or the Northern Crown constellation, whose position lies between the Boötes and the Hercules constellations. 

what occurs when a red giant star and a white dwarf produce a nova. Credit | NASA
what occurs when a red giant star and a white dwarf produce a nova. Credit | NASA

A supernova refers to a massive star’s so-called ‘death explosion,’ while a nova regards an equal instant and temporary explosion from a collapsed star called a white dwarf

The star itself remains a dwarf star, delivering material in a cyclical pattern that can persist for up to a few thousand years. 

Hounsell said, “There are a few recurrent novae with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” and, “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.” 

What is T Coronae Borealis? 

T Coronae Borealis is a binary system located in the constellation Corona Borealis, popularly known as the Blaze Star. It is composed of a white dwarf and a red giant star. 

Red giants are formed during the stellar evolution process when a star is no longer capable of undergoing nuclear fusion of hydrogen and has started to die. 

The nova is expected to appear in the Corona Borealis constellation, also known as the Northern Crown. Credit | NASA
The nova is expected to appear in the Corona Borealis constellation, also known as the Northern Crown. Credit | NASA

According to NASA, in approximately 5 billion or 6 billion years, the sun is set to become a red giant, bloated with gases expanding outward and shedding layers of material, most probably gobbling up the rest of the solar systems inner planets in the process which however, is uncertain in Earth’s case. 

Nova release from T Coronae Borealis 

According to NASA, a nova was said to be released from T Coronae Borealis in the fall of 1217, when a man, Burchard, abbot of Ursberg, Germany, observed “a faint star that for a time shone with great light,” as CNN reported. 

It is said to be the first recorded observation of the Blaze Star. 

According to William J. Cooke, NASA Meteoroid Environments Office lead, “Most novae happen unexpectedly, without warning,” and, “However, T Coronae Borealis is one of 10 recurring novae in the galaxy. We know from the last eruption back in 1946 that the star will get dimmer for just over a year before rapidly increasing in brightness. T Coronae Borealis began to dim in March of last year, so some researchers are expecting it to go nova between now and September. But the uncertainty as to when this will happen is several months — can’t do better than that with what we know now.”