This heavenly spectacle last took place in 1946

There are celestial phenomena that repeat every year – and also phenomena that can only be observed very rarely. In early 2024 there will be the opportunity to see a spectacle that only happens once every 80 years.

The Northern Crown constellation, located north of the celestial equator between the constellations Hercules and the Bear Guardian, could experience a stellar explosion in the first half of next year. It is said that a nova takes place there that can be seen even with the naked eye.

A nova is formed when a white dwarf in a binary star system ‘eats’ its companion star. A binary star system is an astronomical system consisting of two stars that are connected by gravity and orbit together through space.

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

It is well documented that the dwarf called “T Coronae Borealis”, located 2000 light years away, regularly undergoes this process. The last nova took place in 1946 and before that in 1866. The oldest mention is from the year 1217. A German monk from a monastery near Augsburg probably observed the explosion at the time.

Scientists have seen signs of an impending nova at “T Coronae Borealis” as early as March 2023. An observed decrease in brightness in different beam areas is “a clearly recognizable precursor,” as American astronomer Bradley Schaefer explained in the magazine “Astronomer’s Telegram.”