Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
For the past three weeks, amateur astronomers, including Bob Stephens, have been observing two stars with home telescopes, anticipating a nova explosion. This event could occur at any moment and is expected to be 100,000 times brighter than the sun.
While major observatories like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are prepared to observe the nova, they rely on amateur astronomers for initial detection. The high costs and competition for telescope time make it impractical for professionals to continuously monitor the event.
The explosion will be visible from Earth as bright as the North Star for a few days. The light from this event, located in the Corona Borealis constellation, has taken 3,000 years to reach us, indicating the explosion occurred long ago.
The nova involves a binary star system known as T Coronae Borealis, or the Blaze Star. It consists of a white dwarf and a red giant. The dwarf star has been siphoning hydrogen from its companion, leading to an accumulation of gas that will eventually explode.
The nova provides a valuable opportunity for scientists to study turbulent binary star systems. Understanding these systems can offer insights into the processes that may lead to more catastrophic events like supernovas.
Amateur astronomers play a crucial role in monitoring the star, as they have the flexibility to observe it nightly. Many, like Stephens, share their data with the scientific community, helping maintain nearly continuous surveillance.
Major observatories often use highly sensitive equipment designed for faint objects. The brightness of the nova could overwhelm these instruments, complicating observations.
The nova is expected to occur before the end of the year, possibly by the end of August. Once detected, alert systems will notify both amateur and professional astronomers, who have pre-programmed telescopes to focus on the event.