From February to September 2024, the astronomers wait for the appearance of a star in the sky.
The expected star is T CrB either T Corona Borealisof the constellation of the Corona Boreal. Which explodes every 78 to 81 yearsincreasing its brightness up to become visible in the night sky.
T CrB is actually a binary starthat is, they are two stars instead of one. He star system is located at 2628.82 light years of us, this means that the observed light and the light from the explosion occurred 2628.82 years agoback in the year 604 BC c. but due to the enormous distance at which it is located, its light, traveling at the speed of light (300 thousand km/s) takes that long to reach us.
He T CrB system is composed of a red giant star and one white dwarf starwhich is hotter than the first.
The red giant is 75 times larger than the Sun, with 1.12 solar masses and a brightness of 655 suns. While the white dwarf is smaller, with 1.37 times the mass of the Sun and 100 times its brightness. Both stars They are almost 81 million km away from each other; for comparison, the Earth is 150 million km away from the Sun.
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The red giant star this increasing its temperature and pressure, expelling the outer layers that surround it. This material creates a disk around it, where the white dwarf star. The ejected material will “fall” into the white dwarf. Because of this material, the external temperature of the white dwarf increases enough to cause a reaction thermonuclear uncontrolled, which ends blow. But it is not the white dwarf that explodes but the Accumulated material.
It is for the burst that T CrB It goes from a brightness that we do not detect (10.8 mag.), until it becomes visible in the night sky (2.5 mag.).
In 1866 the astronomer John Birmingham discovered it, and it was observed again in 1946. It was apparently observed in 1217 and 1787.
T CrB explodes every 78 to 81 yearswhich is why it is known as recurrent nova and it is one of the five known recurring novae in our galaxy.
What will we see?
For now T CrB is only visible with telescopes, when it explodes it will become visible to the naked eye. It would shine like the one nearby star Alphecca. It will not be one of the brightest stars but it will be visible to the naked eye for at least a week.
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Therefore, learn to identify the stars Arcturus, Spica and the constellation of the Corona Borealis, so that when the time comes, you detect the “appearance” of the nova. Or on the contrary, observing the nova, you will see days later that it has “disappeared” (its brightness has decreased).
How to observe it?
T CrB Belongs to the Corona Borealis constellationlocated between the Drover (Boötes) and Hercules. The Corona Borealis appears in Aprilat 9:30 at night on the eastern horizon (where the Sun “rises” every morning), and as the hours pass, it will rise.
At that time, you will see two bright stars to the east, Arcturus of the constellation Drover (Boötes) and a little southeast, Spica (The Spike) of Virgo (The Virgin). There are no other bright stars in the area, you can’t be confused.
A tip, to ensure you are watching Arcturuslook northeast, to the Ursa Major constellationnotice that the stars in the tail direct you to Arcturus.
Below Arcturus and to the northeast (to the right), is the Corona Borealis, it is a constellation of faint stars that form a semicircle. The Corona Borealis is difficult to see due to its low brightness, you can see it with binoculars. On the contrary, its main star Alphecca can be seen with the naked eye.
The T CrB nova will appear below Alphecca, outside the Crown figure.
As the months passed, the Corona Boreal will be higher and higher in the sky. After summer it will have passed the zenith (the highest part of the sky). By then, having turned in the sky, the not going will now be above Alphecca and Arcturus.
The northern crown
The Corona Boreal is a constellation of the original 48 of Ptolemy; Let’s see one of the many versions of the Greek mythology:
In Cretereigned minos and his wife Pasiphae. His son, the prince Androgean participated in the games Panathenaeacelebrated in Athens. Games in which he won without difficulty. The king of Athens, Aegeanupset by the defeat of his competitors, invited Androgeo to kill the Marathon bullbut during the task, Androgeus died.
In revenge, his father Minos, king of Crete, attacked Athens without managing to conquer it. He then he asked Zeus his intervention who sent drought and famine in Athens. The Athenians seeking freedom from curse consult the oracle who tells them that they should send every nine years to seven young men and seven Athenian maidens to be food for the Minotaura monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
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In one of the marches of the condemned youth, he was Theseusson of King Aegeus, with the mission of killing the Minotaur and free his people from the macabre tribute. Then Ariadne, daughter of Minos and sister of the deceased Androgeus, upon seeing Theseus, fell in love with him and supported him in his mission to kill the Minotaurreleasing a thread for Theseus to find his way back into the Minotaur labyrinth. Afterwards, they ran away to get married. But Theseus abandons her, and she, heartbroken, marries Dionisio. At the wedding, Ariadne wears a crown, which Dionysus takes and throws into the sky to commemorate your love, the crown became the constellation of the Corona Borealis.
german@astropuebla.org