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Astronomers are predicting a once-in-a-lifetime stargazing opportunity could appear in the northern hemisphere sometime in 2024 – a “new” star in the constellation Corona Borealis, KTLA sister station WBOY reports.

The location of T Coronae Borealis (circled in red) (Wikimedia Commons by PopePompus - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)
The location of T Coronae Borealis (circled in red) (Wikimedia Commons by PopePompus – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)

Being millions, if not billions of years old, the star “T Coronae Borealis” (T CrB) isn’t technically new. However, it will soon become visible to the naked eye for the first time in nearly 80 years. But what’s causing it to suddenly become as bright as the North Star?

T CrB is what’s called a recurring nova and is actually a white dwarf in a binary, or two-star, system; its stellar partner is a much larger red giant. According to NASA, as the red giant becomes unstable, it begins to shed its outer layers, which are then sucked up by the gravity of the white dwarf. When T CrB gathers enough stellar material from its neighbor, it lets off a massive explosion, big enough for us to see it 3,000 light-years away here on Earth.

A conceptual image of how to find Hercules and his mighty globular clusters in the sky created using a planetarium software. Look up after sunset during summer months to find Hercules! Scan between Vega and Arcturus, near the distinct pattern of Corona Borealis. Once you find its stars, use binoculars or a telescope to hunt down the globular clusters M13 and M92. If you enjoy your views of these globular clusters, you’re in luck – look for another great globular, M3, in the nearby constellation of Boötes. Credit: NASA
A conceptual image of how to find Hercules and his mighty globular clusters in the sky created using a planetarium software. Look up after sunset during summer months to find Hercules! Scan between Vega and Arcturus, near the distinct pattern of Corona Borealis. Once you find its stars, use binoculars or a telescope to hunt down the globular clusters M13 and M92. If you enjoy your views of these globular clusters, you’re in luck – look for another great globular, M3, in the nearby constellation of Boötes. Credit: NASA

Based on previous observations of this event that date back all the way to 1217 A.D., astronomers predict the star will erupt again sometime between February and September of 2024. NASA believes the star’s magnitude will jump to +2 and will be visible with the naked eye for at least several days and for at least a week with the help of binoculars. For reference, the North Star Polaris has a magnitude of +2.

The constellation Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown, is visible year-round in West Virginia at various times of night. You can find it shortly after sunset during the summer months of May, June, July and August. If you want to find the constellation at any given time, you can use Sky & Telescope’s interactive sky chart.