CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Astronomers expect a once-in-a-lifetime stargazing opportunity to appear in the Northern Hemisphere sometime in 2024 — a “new” star in the Corona Borealis constellation.
Being millions if not billions of years old, the T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) star is not technically new. However, it will soon become visible to the naked eye for the first time in nearly 80 years. But what makes it suddenly become as bright as the North Star?
T CrB is the so-called A Recurring Nova Which is actually a White dwarf In a binary system, or two stars; Its star partner is a much larger red giant. According to NASAWhen the red giant becomes unstable, it begins to shed its outer layers, which are then absorbed by the white dwarf's gravity. When T CrB collects enough stellar material from its neighbour, it unleashes a massive explosion, large enough to be seen 3,000 light-years away here on Earth.
Based on Previous notes for this event Dating back to the year 1217 AD, astronomers predict that the star will erupt again sometime between February and September of 2024. NASA believes that the size of the star will jump to +2 and will be visible to the naked eye for at least several days and for at least a week with the help of binoculars. . For reference, the North Star Polaris has a magnitude of +2.
The Corona Borealis constellation, also known as the Northern Crown, can be seen year-round in West Virginia at various times of night. You can find it shortly after sunset during the summer months of May, June, July and August. If you ever want to find the constellation, you can use it Interactive sky chart for Sky & Telescope.
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