Your Chance To See The Star T Coronae Borealis Explode Is Now Or Never

About 3,000 light-years from Earth, the T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) system is an example of a white dwarf star and a red giant star that orbit each other with a common center of gravity, which is otherwise known as a binary star system. What's special about it, though, is that, after decades of the white dwarf stripping the red giant of hydrogen, a once-in-a-lifetime explosion occurs.

The nova from T CrB is known as a recurrent nova — one of only 11 in the Milky Way — because it undergoes a nova eruption every 80 years or so, giving it the nickname Blaze Star. That's also the reason many people will only get to see its magnificent glow once in their lives. Since the life expectancy of people in the United States is 77.5 years as of 2022 (per the CDC), most people won't have a second chance to observe the event if they miss the current one, which is expected to be visible soon. The timing of the observation is tricky because the nova actually happened about 3,000 years ago, but the light will just be reaching Earth because the T CrB system is so far away. With the initial March 27, 2025, prediction having passed, scientists are looking toward other possible dates, including November 10, 2025 and June 25, 2026. However, everyone is watching the skies with excitement.

In a statement, assistant research scientist Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said, "It's a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data. It'll fuel the next generation of scientists."

One thing you should know about the rare T Coronae Borealis nova event, aside from the cause and when it will happen, is that it's different from a supernova. A supernova is the biggest explosion ever seen in the universe, leaves behind either a neutron star or creates a black hole, and is one way the complete life cycle of a star can end. A nova, on the other hand, is smaller and, in this case, doesn't signal the end of the system's life. Instead, the light will simply dim, and the red giant and white dwarf will continue their orbit and the nova cycle.

To see the T CrB nova, you need to know where to watch for it. The binary system is located within the Corona Borealis constellation, otherwise referred to as the Northern Crown. It's a semicircular arc with the Hercules constellation to its west and the Bootes constellation to its east. Usually, the brightness of T CrB is +10 magnitude, but this increases to +2 magnitude when the nova happens. This will make it so bright that you'll be able to see it shining in the sky without any equipment for several days. If you have binoculars, though, you may be able to see it for just over a week.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Astroparticle Physics Laboratory chief Dr. Elizabeth Hays said in a statement, "Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it's hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated." According to Hays, "This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it, studying the various wavelengths and hopefully giving us data to start unlocking the structure and specific processes involved."