Many TV, online and print media are headlining an expected “new star” that could pop off any time. “Nova Will Blaze In the Sky” certainly sounds like something you shouldn’t miss. And wow, what a spring we’ve had, with an earthquake, several nights of visible Northern Lights and the greatest celestial spectacle of all, a total solar eclipse just a few hours north of here — even if most people missed it by staying home and using filters to view a so-so occurrence, a partial solar eclipse, which we see from here every couple of years.
The promise of yet another celestial headliner — a naked-eye nova — seems a definite don’t-miss spectacle. The challenge is that at maximum light it would only be the 46th-brightest star, not brilliant, and won’t appear in some prominent position such as straight up, so how could anyone find it from a mere verbal description?
I found out last night. Once a year I invite a dozen local residents for a session at one of our observatories at no charge (we’ll do it again next year), and I included an easy way to locate the new nova. The method for finding the spot left everyone seemingly comfortable that they’d easily locate it without needing a media announcement. So how about it? Are you in?
First find Arcturus. It’s the brightest highest-up star these nights before 10:30 p.m. You’ll confirm Arcturus’ identity because the Big Dipper is also high up, and its handle famously “arcs to Arcturus.” Figure 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. is best. Look high up and notice it’s a bit orange.
That was step one. Step two is gazing high overhead all around the sky until you find the only other truly brilliant star. This one is blue-white and has a famous name: Vega. (Say “VEE-ga” to yourself.)
The nova will happen one third of the way between Arcturus and Vega. Now let’s really nail this down.
At that position, one-third of the way along a straight line from Arcturus to Vega you’ll see a bright (but not brilliant) star. It’s not even half as bright as Arcturus or Vega but it’s the only other fairly bright overhead star. This is Gemma, the “Gem” in the crown. The crown is a backwards-“C” shape, representing a curved princess’ tiara — the Northern Crown constellation. The gem star Gemma, called Alphecca by the ancient Arabs, is the brightest member of the backwards-C shape of somewhat faintish stars, and the whole thing is the constellation Corona Borealis where the nova will happen.
Final step: Count the third faint star to the left of Gemma. This is where you want to glance each night from now on, whenever you’re taking an evening stroll. The important thing is that when the nova explodes, it’ll happen right next to that faintish star. And the nova should even be brighter than Gemma, the constellation’s main Alpha star. So there’ll be two decently-bright stars close together, Gemma and the nova, with both sitting in that spot one-third of the way between Arcturus and Vega. It’ll be eye-catching if you know where to look. Which now you do.
That’s the whole story. Not hard at all.
A little background: Through a big telescope like those in my observatories, the star T Coronae Borealis is too faint to let us discern its secret — that it’s really two odd suns — a tiny compressed white dwarf the size of Earth, which orbits around a red supergiant star. Material flowing off the giant’s surface has been steadily accumulating on the white dwarf’s surface, held tightly by its strong gravity. Every 80 years enough material has amassed that it ignites in a frenzied, fusion H-bomb-like explosion, making the pair more than a hundred times brighter than before. Suddenly the naked eye can see a moderately bright star there, where nothing was previously visible.
How bright? Well, a little more luminous than Gemma, so it will roughly match the Big Dipper’s stars and those of Orion’s belt. This nova happened in 1866 and then not again until 1946, giving these nova flare-ups a rough 80 year period. Before each explosion, the star’s already-dim telescope appearance diminishes for about a year, so that’s our tip-off — since that’s what’s been happening lately.
Here in the country, outside the sky-spoiling lights of the Big Apple, you can easily see this explosion for yourself. Just follow these directions the next clear night, find the spot until you’re comfortable looking there effortlessly, and keep glancing there whenever you’re out.
It may take some weeks or even months. But sooner or later — whammy.
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