T CrB nova explosion

[Granada]

I've been eagerly awaiting the T CrB nova explosion which scientists think will happen in September, but no one knows exactly when. Is anyone here aware of any websites/blogs/etc. where this information is updated so I don't miss it? It would really disappoint me if I miss this event.

[Addos (Adam)]

According to Fraser Cain's Universe Today podcast it hasnt happened yet (think he mentioned it in last Saturdays' Space Bites), but is predicted to happen anytime between now and September.
I imagine if you're tuned into Universe Today https://www.youtube.com/user/universetoday or Anton Petrov https://www.youtube.com/@whatdamath youtube channel, you'll hear the day/week it happens.


I havent heard any estimates of how long it'll brighten for, but chances are it'll be several days / couple of weeks so you should get a chance to point your scope at it. Thats how I'm operating anyway Big challenge for most of us here though is clear line of sight to Corona Borealis



Also exciting this will happen in the age of JWST, so its likely they'll use some discretionary time to observe the event, which should provide some outstanding images of a star in distress.

[Granada]

Thanks Adam, those are good suggestions.
I think scientists are estimating it'll be visible to the naked eye for about a week, but from what I've read there is little data about this nova, so it's all just guesswork at this stage.

[gary]

Back in Feb I made this post that a T Coronae Borealis nova outburst was predicted for some time between Feb - Sep 2024
https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/...d.php?t=209296

News stories have been appearing this past week that astronomers are
still awaiting the event, such as this one from the US ABC News :-
https://abc7.com/post/lifetime-nova-...ight/14940212/

Originally Posted by Ashley Strickland, ABC News US, Jun 13th 2024

"Most novae happen unexpectedly, without warning," said William J. Cooke, NASA Meteoroid Environments Office lead, in an email. "However, T Coronae Borealis is one of 10 recurring novae in the galaxy. We know from the last eruption back in 1946 that the star will get dimmer for just over a year before rapidly increasing in brightness. T Coronae Borealis began to dim in March of last year, so some researchers are expecting it to go nova between now and September. But the uncertainty as to when this will happen is several months - can't do better than that with what we know now."

The star system, located 3,000 light-years from Earth and typically too dim to be seen with the naked eye, is expected to reach a level of brightness similar to that of Polaris, or the North Star.

Once the nova peaks in brightness, it will be as if a new star has appeared - one that's visible for a few days without any equipment and a little over a week with binoculars before it dims and disappears from sight for another 80 years or so.

Astronomy Magazine :-
https://www.astronomy.com/observing/...he-generation/

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Gamillo, June 12, 2024, Astronomy Magazine

When T CrB goes off, it will only be at maximum brightness for half a day before you must wait another 80 years to see it with your naked eyes. So go out and keep an eye on it!

[Drac0 (Mark)]

Sadly a lot of social media & "news" sites are overstating what this is going to look like, even some that should know better - saw one the other day saying it's going to "light up Earth's skies". Going to be a number of very disappointed casual observers. Worse is many will blame "science" for the media's click bait headlines...

Cheers,
Mark

[tonybarry (Tony)]

The American Association for Variable Star Observations (AAVSO) may be a useful source for info about T CrB.

https://www.aavso.org/news/t-crb-pre-eruption-dip
Announcement from last year by Brad Schaefer (Louisiana State University) and AAVSO. Taken from the paper by Schaefer (2023) et al. available at:-
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.04933

https://www.aavso.org/t-crb-time-sen...s-forum-thread
The forum thread for T CrB - most recent posting 5 June 2024.

Hope this helps.

I suspect that T CrB will go nova in its own time, but the present interest due to the pre-eruption dip in brightness is tantalising, but may require a longer timebase than what we would want to endure :-)

Regards
Tony Barry
Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group (WSAAG)

[gary]

Originally Posted by tonybarry

Announcement from last year by Brad Schaefer (Louisiana State University) and AAVSO. Taken from the paper by Schaefer (2023) et al. available at:-
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.04933

It's a small world. I know Brad.