A Star Is About to Explode. Here’s How to See It

Astronomers around the world are preparing for one of the most anticipated cosmic fireworks of the year, but you don’t need a fancy telescope to join the celebration.

The hydrogen that the small, dense star has stolen from its nearest neighbor over the past 80 years is like a thermonuclear bomb exploding a hundred thousand times from the Sun.

From Earth, it will be almost as bright as Polaris, and will be visible to the naked eye, even through the light pollution of Los Angeles.

Countless amateur astronomers and observatories around the world and in space are planning to observe the explosion, called a nova. Here’s everything you need to know to join the fun:

You can follow us to find out when the star becomes new. NASA Universe in Xformerly known as Twitter. Avid enthusiasts who want to learn information as quickly as astronomers do can sign up for news about new stars. Telegram Astronomer Email Notifications.

Scientists expect this to happen sometime between now and the end of the year, possibly in late August.

Once upon a time there was a star nicknamed “Fire Star”. just goesyou only have two or three days in Los Angeles – or About a week in the desert, hoping for a breath of fresh air and trying to get it. The star will reach its peak on the first night after the explosion.

To see the star the old-fashioned way, first find the Big Dipper. Then follow the dots on the handle (before it curves) until you find a cluster of stars in the shape of a “U.” This is Corona Borealis, and it contains the star Blaze. Nova will be just beyond the “U” on the lower left.

Or you can use websites and apps stararium who saw it in the sky. Just enter your location and select the star Blaze. (It will likely appear under the official name T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB for short.)

If you want to spend a night like this, Griffith Observatory hopes to give people a show; They just need to get there early enough for the stars to shine before the 10pm closing time.

If the new star persists for a while, they will bring out their lawn telescopes in addition to the 12-inch Zeiss telescope on the roof of the observatory, which is open to the public. Both are free, and lines form outside the telescopes at 9:30 p.m. Griffith staff are on hand to help visitors find them.

One last thing you can do to prepare: practice right now. Look at maps to see where the star Blaze is in relation to the constellation Corona Borealis, and try to find the constellation in the night sky before the big day. Not only will this help you identify the star faster, but it will also allow you to appreciate how the new star changes the night sky.