Latest news with #AmericanAssociationofVariableStarObservers
Miami Herald
20 hours ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Unexpected explosion in the Milky Way creates a new star. Where you can see it
Sky watchers around the world have a new star to hunt for in the night sky, thanks to a recently detected explosion in our galaxy. The nova, named V462 Lup, is located within the southern constellation Lupus, according to the American Association of Variable Star Observers database. However, people in North America may be able to see it with the naked eye 'close to the southern horizon, just after sunset,' LiveScience reported. Astronomers from Ohio State University's All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae first detected the new point of light, with a magnitude of +8.7, on June 12. On June 14, Yusuke Tampo, an astronomer at the South African Astronomical Observatory, reported the nova did not exist in previous photometric surveys, confirming it as new, according to email records shared by The Astronomer's Telegram. Astronomer Dawid Moździerski, who photographed V462 Lup from Chile's Atacama desert, said the star's magnitude had increased to +5.7, making it visible without the need for a telescope or binoculars, according to an image shared on A nova is 'a sudden, short-lived explosion from a compact star not much larger than Earth,', according to NASA. 'The explosion happens when a collapsed star known as a white dwarf circles so close to a normal star that a stream of gas flows between them,' experts said. This gas accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf 'until it reaches a flash point and detonates in a runaway thermonuclear explosion,' NASA said. Astronomers estimate that 'between 20 and 50 novae occur each year in our galaxy,' most of which go unnoticed, according to experts. Online star charts like SkyLive can help you find which constellations are visible in your area and how to locate certain objects in the night sky.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Huge orange star above Earth could explode at any moment
Humanity may be about to experience the first supernova visible to the naked eye in over 400 years, as a supergiant star appears to be close to exploding. Not one to be overshadowed by 'trade wars', actual wars and asteroids which were but now aren't a threat to Earth; it would appear one of the stars in the night sky may now be gearing up for a colossal cosmic event. According to astronomers, the Betelgeuse red supergiant star, appears to be on its last legs due to its increasingly volatile behaviour in the past couple of years. Situated in the Orion constellation, Betelgeuse is noticeable in the night sky thanks to its orange glow. However this may not be the case for much longer. Back in 2019, NASA noted that Betelgeuse's brightness dimmed by about 60%, leading some scientists to wonder if it was entering a 'pre-supernova' phase, an event later explained as a a surface mass ejection. Fast forward four years and the star would begin acting up once again, with The Guardian explaining that Betelgeuse was glowing and dimming at 'twice as fast as usual', and in 2024 the American Association of Variable Star Observers revealed how the star had dimmed by 0.5 in the opening months of the year. So, what's going on? Well it's a bit of a good news/bad news situation on that front. It's impossible to predict exactly when the star will explode, however, scientists predict Betelgeuse will enter into a supernova anywhere within the next 10,000 to 100,000 years. Which means you could very well look out your window tomorrow and witness a supernova — or this could happen on any of the other 99,999 years. "We conclude that Betelgeuse is... a good candidate for the next galactic supernova," wrote the authors of one study, which predicted it could be in as little as 'tens of years'. EarthSky adds that Betelgeuse is also between 430 light-years and 643 light-years away from Earth, so we wouldn't see it immediately. For those who can vaguely recall their school science lessons, the death of a star is marked by an explosion, which ejects gas and various matter into the galaxy, before it collapses into a black hole. Which would be very bad news — if the star was close enough to impact Earth. Fortunately, this isn't the case with Betelgeuse. Given that we're at a safe enough distance, astronomers are excited by the prospect of witnessing the Betelgeuse supernova. According to Big Think, the exploding star would 'shine approximately as brightly as the full Moon' and reach maximum brightness after around '10 days.'
