In the coming months, a spectacle that only takes place approximately once every eighty years will take place in the cosmos. A star system, invisible to the naked eye and located about 3000 light-years from Earth, will briefly shine as brightly as the famous North Star.
The T Coronae Borealis – T CrB star system
The celestial spotlight for this unique event is the T Coronae Borealis – affectionately known as T CrB among astronomy enthusiasts. This stellar system, situated approximately 3000 light-years from Earth, is typically invisible to the naked eye. However, T CrB is not just any star system, it’s a recurrent nova. This means it sporadically flares up in an explosion, significantly brightening and briefly becoming visible from our planet.
Anticipated Astronomical Event
According to the American space agency, NASA, the next visible outburst from T CrB is due soon. Records suggest that T CrB experiences such brightness-spiking eruptions approximately every 80 years. The last recorded eruption was nearly eighty years ago, making another one imminent. NASA anticipates that it will showcase itself to the naked eye sometime between now and September of this year.
The Intricate Dance of a White Dwarf and a Red Giant
So, what exactly occurs during these eruptions? The T CrB consists of two stars: a white dwarf and a red giant. These two celestial entities are engaged in a perpetual dance, orbiting each other closely. As they do so, the white dwarf consistently siphons off matter from its larger red companion. Over time, the pressure and temperature in this accumulated matter increase to the point that a reaction similar to that inside a hydrogen bomb occurs: hydrogen nuclei fuse into helium. This leads to an enormous cosmic explosion, hurling matter into space and momentarily increasing the luminosity of the star system significantly.
A Brief Brilliance
In the case of the T CrB star system, researchers predict its luminosity during the upcoming explosion will rival that of the famous North Star, making it easily visible to the naked eye. However, this spectacle will be fleeting; T CrB will only be bright enough to observe without aids for a few days before gradually dimming.
With such a rare and striking spectacle on the horizon, avid stargazers have reason enough to keep a close watch on the T CrB, located in the northern crown constellation.
