The supernova could be seen with the naked eye in 2024

Next year we may be able to see with the naked eye a rare celestial phenomenon that only occurs every 80 years.

Laura Helbig/T Online

There are celestial phenomena that occur every year, and those that do can only be observed very rarely. At the beginning of 2024, there will be a chance to see a spectacle that only occurs every 80 years.

In the constellation of the Northern Crown, located north of the celestial equator between the constellations Hercules and the Bear Guardian, we may witness a star explosion in the first half of next year. There is said to be a nova that can be seen with the naked eye.

The white dwarf “eats” its companion star

A nova occurs when a white dwarf in a star system “eats” its companion star. A binary star system is an astronomical system consisting of two stars bound together by gravity and orbiting together through space.

During this process, the white dwarf “absorbs” material from its companion star until it reaches a critical limit. Once this point is reached, a thermonuclear explosion occurs in the white dwarf’s gaseous envelope – the supernova. This can recover at certain intervals because the white dwarf survives the explosion and is not destroyed – as is the case with a supernova.

The explosion was first recorded in 1217

It is well documented that the dwarf called T Coronae Borealis, located 2,000 light-years away, regularly undergoes this process. The last nova occurred in 1946 and before that in 1866. The oldest mention dates back to 1217. A German monk from a monastery near Augsburg may have noticed the explosion at that time.

Scientists saw signs of an impending nova in T Coronae Borealis as early as March 2023. The noticeable drop in brightness in many regions of the beam is a “clearly recognizable harbinger,” as American astronomer Bradley Schaeffer explained in the journal Astronomer’s Telegram. “.

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