Rare, Dramatic Exploding Star Will Be Visible to the Naked Eye

Gracing our night sky this year, 2024, is something we never hear about which makes this week-long celestial moment so rare and sure to mesmerize.

According to the Earth website, it's been eight decades since we've had an exploding star visible to the naked eye. If you don't mind me getting technical for a minute the star system is known as the T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) some 3,000 light-years away from Earth and it's on the brink of an intense explosion.

This event is known as a nova and will be so bright that it will light up the sky temporarily according to NBC News. It will happen in our Milky Way constellation in the northern hemisphere. Star explosions like this rarely happen in our galaxy according to NASA.

sakkmesterke

This nova explosion will be like a hydrogen bomb detonating in space according to NBC News, so it will have a fireball effect.

At its peak, the eruption should be visible to the naked eye. It’s going to be bright in the sky, so it’ll be easily visible from your backyard. The last time this particular star system erupted was in 1946 and another eruption will likely not occur for another 80 years or so.

Right now, according to NASA, the closest predictability for this spectacularly brilliant stellar spectacle will happen by September. However, with astronomers around the world closely monitoring the T Coronae Borealis system, we'll know when the explosion starts and within 24 hours, we will be able to see it.

It should last a couple of days to the naked eye and a week if you have powerful binoculars according to NASA.