TEMPLE, Texas — April's total solar eclipse won't be the only once-in-a-lifetime sight in the sky this year.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a star system 3,000 light years away from Earth is predicted to be visible to the naked eye this year due to a 'nova outburst'.
NASA describes a nova as a "sudden, short-lived brightening of an otherwise inconspicuous star".
According to NASA, the nova, called T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, last exploded in 1946. Astronomers predict that it will explode again this year sometime between February and September.
NASA said the explosion will bring the system, which usually has a magnitude (or brightness) of +10, far too dim to see with the naked eye, to a magnitude of +2, which is similar to that of the North Star, Polaris.
Once the nova's brightness peaks, NASA says it could be visible to the naked eye for several days, and "just over a week" with binoculars. After that, NASA says it will dim again, possibly for another 80 years.
To see the nova, NASA says to look for the constellation Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown. Corona Borealis can be found near the constellations Bootes and Hercules.
It is in Corona Borealis that the nova will be visible, said NASA, appearing similar to a 'new, bright star'.
According to NASA, this specific nova happens because T CrB is a binary system with a red giant, an expanding, aging star; and a white dwarf, a small but incredibly dense 'stellar remnant' of a star.
The red giant and white dwarf are close enough together that as the red giant becomes unstable and begins ejecting its outer layers, the white dwarf collects that matter on its surface, said NASA.
The shallow dense atmosphere of the white dwarf then eventually heats enough to cause a 'runaway thermonuclear reaction', which causes the bright nova that becomes visible from Earth.
This recurring nova is one of five in the Milky Way, according to NASA.
NASA has not stated exactly when the nova is expected to be visible but said that those interested can follow @NASAUniverse on X, formerly known as Twitter, for updates.
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