2024-04-18 08:13:07
Every 80 years, a new nova star appears in the sky. This is a once in a lifetime event. And now the time is near. This could happen in the next few days or a few months.
Astronomers say the new nova “T Coronae Borealis” will be bright enough to be visible to the naked eye for a week, then quickly disappear. prepare to reappear in the next 80 years
The cause of this astonishing phenomenon is what we call “hyperthermia”. This “repeatable nova” called “T Coronae Borealis” or T CrB for short, is a system of binary stars orbiting around each other in the constellation.Constellation of the Northern Crown (Corona Borealis or Northern Crown) located approximately 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 dies and explodes. Reproducible novae erupt more frequently than supernovae. Scientists have only identified 10 such repeating novae in the Milky Way, and in the case of T Coronae Borealis, its last explosion was in 1946, so its time is near.
What caused this object to explode in the universe?
The T CrB phenomenon is not the result of the collapse and explosion of a star. Rather, it is a movement in the sky between two dying stars orbiting each other. One of the stars is a larger red giant. Its mass is similar to that of 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 that orbits it. which is about the same size as Earth. But it contains 40% more matter than the sun, making it incredibly dense.
As the white dwarf swallows the contents of its friend its temperature will continue to rise with increasing density, then eventually, every 80 years or so, it will reach a critical point. It triggers a powerful nuclear fusion reaction that creates a luminous explosion visible far away in the universe.
“We follow him. and I saw he was doing something funny. “Sumner Starrfield, professor at Arizona State University, said a person who has studied this star system throughout his career.
“It lit up a few times and now it’s faded a bit. It seems to be doing the same thing as before the 1946 explosion, which is why we suddenly became more interested in it,” he added, In 1946 the star system was bright then slightly dark. Before the big explosion This is a sign that is also happening now. This fascinates modern astronomers.
So when will it appear? And how can you see it?
No one can clearly tell the precise time. When will T Coronae Borealis erupt? According to NASA, it could be at any time. Until September As Professor Starfield noted, that was a good guess. And 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, professor emeritus at Louisiana State University. “That[se produit]for a short time, maintaining maximum brightness for just a few hours,” explains one of the leading academics at T CrB. and will start to fade quickly Then it will disappear until it is no longer visible to the naked eye in just 1 week.
So if you want to see it with the naked eye, you only have a few nights. But for astronomers, when it breaks there will be close monitoring. The Starfield team has already booked time with the James Webb Space Telescope to observe and provide in-depth data.
But scientists have been helped by a network of amateur astronomers using their own telescopes, such as the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), who have monitored it closely in recent years.
They upload new data to the central hub on average every 10 minutes, providing scientists with constant updates on the system’s brightness. And there is no doubt that if an eruption occurs They will be among the first to notice it.
“The reason so many people are watching is because they like to see things blow up,” said Brian Kloppenberg, executive director of the AAVSO, of being a person who someone finds something. or saw the first event.
But Professor Schaffer has his own plans. He was determined not to let the opportunity pass as soon as he received the news. In 1946, the astronomer who predicted the T CrB phenomenon, Leslie Peltier, unfortunately missed the event. Due to cold weather But this time, astronomers around the world hope that this will not be the case.
When it erupts, they expect T CrB to be as bright as Polaris, the brightest point in the famous constellation Ursa Minor.
“Of course I would go out to a dark and light place for the first[éruption]because I wanted my observations to be able to look at that light curve,” Schaffer said. “When you hear the T CrB lights up. You don’t need a telescope. But all you have to do is go out 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
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