Nearby ‘hydrogen bomb’ star explodes and there is a unique chance to see it

A NEARBY star is about to go supernova, finally making it visible to the naked eye.

According to NASA, this is a one-time event, as this recurring nova eruption only happens about once every 80 years.

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There is no risk that Earth will be hit by the mighty explosion, which is said to have the same force as a hydrogen bomb.

When NASA says the star is “close,” what it actually means is that it is in a galaxy 3,000 light-years away.

The star, T Coronae Borealis or T CrB, last exploded in 1946.

But NASA astronomers believe the rocket will explode again between February and September 2024.

Normally the galaxy is too faint to see with the naked eye.

During a supernova, T Coronae Borealis will be as bright as the North Star Polaris for several days.

According to NASA, amateur astronomers will be able to observe the star in the sky for a little longer using binoculars.

What is a supernova?

A supernova is the largest explosion humans can ever see and the most powerful combustion in the recorded universe.

They are the result of the death of a massive star.

When a star runs out of juice, it loses the pressure that keeps it from collapsing.

The giant, hot star will then cool and suddenly collapse.

Another type of supernova can occur when a star orbits an Earth-sized white dwarf.

If the white dwarf – what’s left of a star after a supernova – collides with a large star or pulls too much matter from a star, that star will explode.

The sun will one day suffer the same fate, billions of years from now, when it is at least five times larger than it is today.

NASA astronomers believe that about two or three supernovae occur every century in galaxies like our own Milky Way.

But space dust and debris block our view of most supernovae in our Milky Way.

Where in the sky?

The exploding T Coronae Borealis will appear as a bright “new” star near the constellation Coronae Borealis.

Coronae Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown, is a small U-shaped constellation between the constellations Hercules and Boots.

NASA advises luminary astronomers to “get familiar” with the Corona Borealis star system sooner or later.

“This returning nova is just one of five in our Milky Way,” NASA added.

“This happens because T CrB is a binary system with a white dwarf and a red giant.

‘The stars are so close that, as the red giant becomes unstable due to increasing temperature and pressure and begins to shed its outer layers, the white dwarf collects that matter on its surface.

‘The white dwarf’s shallow, dense atmosphere eventually warms enough to cause a runaway thermonuclear reaction – which produces the nova we see from Earth.’

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