William J. Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office explained, “Most novae happen unexpectedly, without warning. 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.”
Sky Event Details
Located 3,000 light-years from Earth, T Coronae Borealis is typically too dim to be seen with the naked eye. However, during the nova, it is expected to reach a brightness comparable to Polaris, the North Star.
For a few days, the nova will be visible without any equipment, and it will remain observable with binoculars and telescopes for just over a week before fading from sight for another 80 years or so.
Dr. Elizabeth Hays, chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA Goddard, highlighted the significance of this event for amateur astronomers and citizen scientists.
