A brand new celestial object resembling a star will suddenly appear in the sky within the constellation Hercules.
According to Science Alert, the upcoming nova explosion of T Coronae Borealis – a binary star system consisting of a “vampire” star and its victim – will be bright enough for people on Earth to see it with the naked eye.
T Coronae Borealis previously exploded in 1946. Scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center estimate that it will explode again sometime between February and September 2024.
T Coronae Borealis, which includes a “vampire” white dwarf and a red giant star – (Graphic: NASA).
Currently, it has not yet exploded, so you can look forward to this rare event from now until the end of September.
With the naked eye, you will see a bright spot resembling a newly arisen star in the constellation Hercules – where the binary stars reside – with brightness comparable to that of the North Star.
T Coronae Borealis is a star system nearing its end. Currently, it consists of a red giant star and a white dwarf.
The white dwarf acts as a “vampire star“, while the red giant is its victim.
The white dwarf continuously exerts a force that strips material from the red giant. When the pressure accumulates sufficiently, the red giant will explode cyclically in an event known as a “nova explosion”, releasing some material from its body.
The stripped materials will then be “consumed” by the white dwarf.
It will take some time from the moment material is released until the white dwarf finishes its feast. Thus, you may be able to observe this nova explosion for several days.
One day, it is possible that the red giant will lose too much material while its companion becomes so full that it bursts – literally. The duo could explode more violently in an event known as a “supernova.”
Red giants are stars that are in the “dying” phase as they are nearly out of energy. Our Sun will become a red giant in about 5 billion years.
After small nova explosions and possibly a supernova, all that will remain will collapse into a small white dwarf, roughly the size of Earth but with super energy.
It is estimated that in about 10 billion years, after approximately 5 billion years as a red giant, the Sun will transform into a white dwarf.
