Get ready to witness a once in a lifetime firework display of celestial proportions: an eruption of the recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis. In this post, and the accompanying video, we will tell you a little more about T Coronae Borealis and how to spot this incredible sight for yourself.
The History of T Cr B
T Coronae Borealis, often referred to as the “Blaze Star”, or even “T Cor Bor” and “T Cr B”, is a recurrent nova in the constellation of Corona Borealis. This system consists of a red giant star, and a white dwarf. Material from the red giant star is transferring onto the white dwarf at a constant rate. Thanks to this consistent flow of material, like clockwork every 80 years the concentration of hydrogen on the white dwarf gets dense enough that it ignites in a thermonuclear explosion. This explosion drastically increases the luminosity of the system, taking it from around 10th magnitude (barely visible through most telescopes or binoculars), to brighter than 3rd magnitude, making it easily visible to the naked eye for several days. This star was previously seen going nova in 1866 and 1946, so we are about due for it to happen again.
We know that T Coronae Borealis is due to erupt, but what we don’t know is exactly when. Based on its previous eruoptions, we would expect it to go nova in 2026; exactly 80 years since the last explosion. However, a year before the previous eruption the luminosity of the system was seen to considerably dip. Recent observations have showed a similar dip in 2023, which might suggest that we could expected the eruption much sooner: sometime in the next few months .
How to Spot the Blaze Star for Yourself
Whenever it does happen, you should be able to easily spot it for yourself for at least a few days after the nova. To help you spot T Cr B where you are, both before and after the nova, Prof. Matthew Bate has put together a handy guide to show you where T Cr B will be throughout the rest of the year.
Stay tuned for more updates, and be sure to keep an eye on the sky to watch for the brightening of T Coronae Borealis for yourself.