NASA: A bright burst will soon be visible from Earth

The American space agency NASA expects a very bright so-called nova explosion in the coming months. NASA said it was a burst of brightness in the star system “T Coronae Borealis,” which is about 3,000 light-years away and only occurs about every 80 years.

Normally the system, which is located in the Northern Hemisphere between the constellations Bear Guardian and Hercules, cannot be seen with the naked eye. During the nova explosion, expected until about September, the brightness of the North Star will be reached – and ‘T Coronae Borealis’ will look like a bright, new star. The last time this happened was in 1946.

The star system is said to be visible for several days with the naked eye and just over a week with binoculars. According to NASA, it is about 3,000 light years away from us. A light year is the distance light travels in one year: a distance of 9.46 trillion kilometers.

According to the information, “T Coronae Borealis” is a binary star system with a white dwarf and a red giant. They are so close together that the red giant becomes unstable and begins to shed its outer layers. The white dwarf collects this material on its surface. As a result, the atmosphere warms up so much that a thermonuclear reaction takes place – this is the eruption that can be seen even from Earth. There are more such recurring novae in our Milky Way. (sda/dpa)