{"id":778091,"date":"2024-02-29T12:39:49","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T17:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=778091"},"modified":"2024-02-29T12:39:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T17:39:49","slug":"a-nova-in-the-making-will-t-coronae-borealis-pop-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=778091","title":{"rendered":"A Nova in the Making: Will T Coronae Borealis Pop in 2024?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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If predictions are correct, a key outburst star could put on a show in early 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n

If astronomers are correct, a familiar northern constellation could briefly take on a different appearance in 2024, as a nova once again blazes into prominence. The star in question is T Coronae Borealis, also referred to as the \u2018Blaze Star\u2019 or T CrB. Located in the corner of the constellation Corona Borealis or the Northern Crown, T CrB is generally at a quiescent +10th<\/sup> magnitude, barely discernible with binoculars\u2026 but once every 60 years, the star has flared briefly into naked eye visibility at around +2nd<\/sup> magnitude.<\/p>\n

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Finding T CrB in the sky. Credit: Stellarium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Curious Case of T Coronae Borealis <\/h2>\n

The enigma that is T Coronae Borealis was first noted by Irish astronomer John Birmingham on the night of May 12, 1866. Observers later scoured the region for decades to come, until hitting pay-dirt with a second flare-up from the star once again in 1946. None other than astronomer Leslie Peltier of Starlight Nights<\/em> fame witnessed the 1946 outburst. A recent study by Bradley Shaefer Louisiana State University in 2023 suggests that a bright \u2018guest star\u2019 seen in 1217 and again in 1787 in the same region mentioned in medieval manuscripts may in fact have been apparitions of T CrB.<\/p>\n

\"Light
The light curve from the 1946 outburst. Wikimedia Commons CCA 4.0, compiled from AAVSO data. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We now know that T Coronae Borealis is what\u2019s known as a recurrent nova. This occurs when a white dwarf companion star orbiting a red giant siphons off material, which accretes and compresses around the white dwarf star. This accumulates on the white dwarf, until it reaches a limit where runaway fusion occurs, and it shines briefly as a nova. Recurrent novae are rare, and less than 10 are known of in our galaxy.<\/p>\n

\"Recurrent
A list of known recurrent novae. From The Backyard Astronomer\u2019s Deep-Sky Field Guide<\/em> by David Dickinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An Outburst for 2024? <\/h2>\n

This seems to suggest a periodicity of 80 years for the Blaze Star, suggesting another appearance running up to 2026. A suspicious dimming recorded in 2023, however, is now giving astronomers pause. The star behaved the same way in 1945, about a year prior to outburst. Astronomers are now hoping that we\u2019ll see T CrB brighten this year.<\/p>\n