A cosmic explosion expected this summer will be visible from Earth even with the naked eye and will result in a new star.
The night sky will soon be getting a brand new star when an expected cosmic explosion that will be visible from Earth even with the naked eye occurs this summer. It is the result of a phenomenon called a nova, where a binary star system called T Corona Borealis (T CrB) will explode in a flash of light that will take it from its dim form, currently visible only with a telescope, to a bright dot visible overhead.
A nova eruption happens in binary systems where two stars orbit each other. In the case of T Corona Borealis, the pair consists of a large dim star called a red giant and a smaller, but much denser star called a white dwarf. The white dwarf is the core left behind of what was once a star like our sun, and its density means it has strong gravity that allows it to eat away material from its companion.
