A nearby exploding star is due to offer a spectacular show that could outshine our North Star this year.
  • Null User Object@programming.dev
    3·
    8 months ago

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_Coronae_Borealis

    On 20 April 2016, the Sky and Telescope website reported a sustained brightening since February 2015 from magnitude 10.5 to about 9.2. A similar event was reported in 1938, followed by another outburst in 1946.[20] By June 2018, the star had dimmed slightly but still remained at an unusually high level of activity. In March or April 2023, it dimmed to magnitude 12.3.[21] A similar dimming occurred in the year before the 1945 outburst, indicating that it will likely erupt between March and September 2024.

    And if I’m interpreting some of the other content correctly, it’ll come and go in one night? Maybe someone who knows more about these can confirm or correct me.. See update below.

    Also …

    Even when at peak magnitude of 2.5, this recurrent nova is dimmer than about 120 stars in the night sky.

    So, maybe a bit anticlimactic. 😞

    Update: … https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2024/02/27/view-nova-explosion-new-star-in-northern-crown/

    Once its brightness peaks, it should be visible to the unaided eye for several days and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again, possibly for another 80 years.