A new supernova can be seen every 80 years, but it can only be seen once in a lifetime.

Every 80 years, a new supernova appears in the sky. It's a once in a lifetime event. And now the time is near. It could happen in the next few days or it could be months.

Astronomers say that the new “T Coronae Borealis” nova will be bright enough to be visible with the naked eye for a week and then disappear quickly. To prepare to reappear in the next 80 years

The reason for this amazing phenomenon is what is known as “high temperature.” This “repeated nova” called “T Coronae Borealis” or T CrB for short, is a binary star system orbiting each other in the constellation.Constellation of the Northern Crown (Corona Borealis or Northern Crown) is located about 3,000 light-years from Earth.

This reproducible nova is different from classical novae, as they are often called. A “supernova” is a phenomenon that occurs when a star expires and explodes. Reproducible novae erupt more frequently than supernovae. Scientists have identified only 10 of these recurring novae in the Milky Way, and in the case of T Coronae Borealis, it last exploded in 1946, so it is now close to its time.

What caused this object in the universe to explode?

The T CrB phenomenon is not the result of a star collapsing and exploding. Rather, it is a movement in the sky between two dying stars orbiting each other. One of the stars is a larger red giant. It has a mass similar in size to the Sun in our solar system. But it loses mass and matter. Including hydrogen and helium.

Some of the escaping material falls on the white dwarf around which it orbits. It is roughly the same size as Earth but contains 40% more matter than the Sun, making it incredibly dense.

As the white dwarf swallows its friend's contents its temperature will continue to rise as density increases, and then finally, every 80 years or so, it will reach a critical point. It triggers a powerful nuclear fusion reaction that creates a bright explosion that can be seen far into the universe.

“We follow him. I saw that he was doing something interesting.Sumner Starfield, a professor at Arizona State University – said someone who has studied this star system throughout his career.

“It has brightened a few times and now it has faded a little. “It seems to be doing the same thing it was doing before the explosion in 1946, which is why we suddenly became more interested in it,” he added. In other words, in 1946 the star system was bright and then a little dark before the explosion. This is a sign that also occurs now, and this is of interest to modern astronomers.

So when will he appear? How can you see it?

No one can clearly tell the exact time. When will T Coronae Borealis volcano erupt? According to NASA, that could be any time from now. Until September, as Professor Starfield noted, this was a good guess. It may be years before we see an explosion in the sky. But when it happened we can only hope that the people of the world will not miss this opportunity.

“It peaked very quickly,” said Bradley Schaefer, a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University. One of T CrB's leading academics explains: “[يحدث]”For a short period of time, maintaining maximum brightness for only a few hours. It will begin to fade quickly and then fade away until it is not visible to the naked eye in just one week.”

So, if you want to see it with the naked eye, you only have a few nights. But for astronomers, when it erupts there will be careful monitoring. The Starfield team has already booked time with the James Webb Space Telescope to observe and provide in-depth data.

But scientists have had help from a network of amateur astronomers using their own telescopes, such as the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), who have been monitoring it closely in recent years.

They upload new data to the central core every 10 minutes on average, providing scientists with constant updates on how bright the system is. There is no doubt that if an eruption occurs they will be among the first to see it.

“The reason so many people are watching is because people like to see things explode,” said Brian Kloppenberg, executive director of AAVSO. Or watch the first event.”

But Professor Schiffer has plans of his own. He was determined not to miss the opportunity once he received the news, and in 1946, unfortunately, the astronomer who had predicted the T CrB phenomenon, Leslie Peltier, missed the event. Due to the very cold weather, but this time astronomers around the world hope that is not the case.

When it erupts, they expect T CrB to be as bright as Polaris, the brightest point in the famous Little Dipper constellation.

“Of course, I was going to go somewhere dark and clear for the first one,” Schaefer said[ثوران]Because I wanted my observations to be able to look at this light curve.” “When you hear that T CrB is lighting up you don't need a telescope. But all you have to do is walk outside on a dark, clear night and look up.

Researched and edited by Witit Borompichaichartkul

Origin

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/t-coronae-borealis-rare-sky-phenomenon