We're About to Witness a Once in a Lifetime Space Explosion Visible From Everywhere

Anton Petrov
23 Mar 202413:26

Summary

TLDRThe 2024 astronomical event garnering significant attention is not the solar eclipse but the rare recurrent Nova, occurring every 80 years. The focus is on T Coronae Borealis, a binary star system predicted to erupt as a Nova in 2024 based on historical patterns. This event is exceptional as it allows real-time observation of stellar processes, offering insights into the future of our Sun. The exact timing remains uncertain, but the period of April to September has been flagged as the most likely for this spectacular cosmic display.

Takeaways

  • 🌞 The most anticipated astronomical event of 2024 is the solar eclipse on April 8th, but for astronomers, another event holds significant interest.
  • 🌠 The event of interest is a recurring Nova that occurs every 80 years, which may have already happened or is imminent.
  • 🔍 The discussion revolves around understanding the nature of white dwarfs and their role in such astronomical phenomena.
  • 💥 A Nova occurs when a white dwarf absorbs mass from its companion star, leading to a massive nuclear explosion.
  • 🌌 The Nova event is predicted to be visible even in city skies with light pollution, due to its brightness of around 2.5 magnitude.
  • 📜 Historical records suggest the periodicity of the Nova, with previous occurrences in 1866 and 1946, and predictions for the next in 2024.
  • 🔭 Observations of unusual activity in 2015, 2018, and 2023 mirror the patterns before previous Novae, supporting the prediction.
  • 🎇 The upcoming Nova is considered a once-in-a-lifetime event for observers, given its rarity and the fact that it happens every 80 years.
  • 🌟 The Nova is not just a spectacle but also a scientific opportunity to study the processes and future stages of our Sun.
  • 💡 The event has sparked interest in understanding the mysteries surrounding the binary system, including the lack of oxygen in the red giant.
  • 🎁 The video challenges viewers to predict the exact date of the Nova, hinting at a possible reward for a correct guess.

Q & A

  • What is the most significant astronomical event of 2024 mentioned in the transcript?

    -The most significant astronomical event of 2024 mentioned is the solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024.

  • What is the term used to describe a star that has collapsed on itself but is unable to form a neutron star or a black hole due to insufficient mass?

    -Such a star is referred to as a white dwarf, which forms electron degenerate matter to prevent further collapse.

  • What is a recurrent Nova and why is it a rare event?

    -A recurrent Nova is a type of stellar explosion that occurs in binary star systems at regular intervals. It is rare because there are only about a dozen known recurrent Novas in the galaxy, and they have long periods between outbursts, often longer than human lifespans.

  • What is the historical significance of T Coronae Borealis in relation to Novae?

    -T Coronae Borealis is significant because it is a well-known recurrent Nova that has been observed erupting at least twice in historical records, in 1866 and 1946, and is predicted to erupt again around 2024.

  • How do astronomers predict the occurrence of a Nova?

    -Astronomers predict the occurrence of a Nova by analyzing historical data, observing changes in the star's brightness, radio emissions, and X-ray production, and looking for unusual dips in brightness that indicate material transfer from the red giant to the white dwarf in the binary system.

  • What unusual observation was made about the red giant in the binary system involving T Coronae Borealis?

    -An unusual lack of oxygen was observed inside the red giant in the binary system involving T Coronae Borealis, which is currently unexplained.

  • What is the estimated distance of the binary system involving T Coronae Borealis from Earth?

    -The binary system involving T Coronae Borealis is approximately 3,000 light years away from Earth.

  • What is the orbital period of the two stars in the T Coronae Borealis system?

    -The two stars in the T Coronae Borealis system orbit each other every 228 days.

  • Why is the upcoming Nova event from T Coronae Borealis considered more significant than the solar eclipse of 2024?

    -The upcoming Nova event from T Coronae Borealis is considered more significant because it is an extremely rare and bright event that may be the brightest of its kind for at least another century, offering valuable scientific observations and insights into stellar processes.

  • How can one participate in the prediction game mentioned in the transcript?

    -To participate in the prediction game, one can leave a comment with a predicted date for the Nova event, and if the prediction is correct, there might be a surprise reward.

  • What is the expected visibility of the T Coronae Borealis Nova event from Earth?

    -The T Coronae Borealis Nova event is expected to be visible even in a typical city with white light pollution, with a magnitude of 2.5, making it extremely easy to see.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The 2024 Astronomical Event: Recurrent Nova

This paragraph introduces the astronomical event of 2024, which is not the widely discussed solar eclipse on April 8th, but rather a rare event occurring every 80 years. The focus is on a recurrent Nova, an astronomical phenomenon where a white dwarf star absorbs mass from a companion star, leading to a nuclear explosion. The discussion begins with an explanation of white dwarf stars, their formation, and their characteristics, including electron degenerate matter. The paragraph also touches on the unique situation of binary stars and how their interaction can lead to a Nova. Historical observations of Novae, including T Coronae Borealis, are mentioned, along with the prediction of its next occurrence based on past eruptions and recent observations.

05:00

🌠 Predicting the Recurrent Nova: Historical Patterns and Modern Science

This paragraph delves into the historical records and predictions surrounding the recurrent Nova event. It highlights the attempts to predict the occurrence of Novae based on historical data, such as the observations by Reverend Francis Williston in 1789 and Abbott Berard in the 6th century. The paragraph discusses the scientific community's efforts to pinpoint the exact date of the upcoming Nova in 2024, acknowledging the challenges and uncertainties in such predictions. It also emphasizes the rarity and significance of this event, comparing it to other known recurrent Novae and their predictability. The paragraph concludes with an invitation for viewers to participate in a guessing game to predict the date of the Nova, with a promise of a potential reward for correct predictions.

10:01

🚀 Upcoming Nova Event: Rarity, Significance, and Scientific Mysteries

The final paragraph discusses the exceptional nature of the upcoming Nova event, emphasizing its rarity compared to other astronomical phenomena like solar eclipses and comets. It provides insights into the binary star system 3,000 light years away, which is on the verge of a material transfer peak, indicating the imminence of the Nova explosion. The paragraph also mentions the high accuracy of previous Nova predictions, reinforcing confidence in the upcoming event's prediction. It concludes by underscoring the scientific importance of observing this event in real-time to gain insights into stellar processes and the future of our Sun, as well as mentioning the unresolved mysteries surrounding this particular system.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow that either partially or totally blocks the Sun's light from reaching Earth. In the video, the solar eclipse is mentioned as the most talked-about astronomical event of 2024, occurring on April 8th, but it is noted that technically, it is not as significant for astronomers as the recurrent Nova event.

💡Recurrent Nova

A recurrent Nova is a type of stellar explosion that occurs in binary star systems at regular intervals. It happens when a white dwarf accretes material from its companion star until the mass of the accreted material reaches a certain limit, triggering a thermonuclear explosion. These events are rare and can be predicted based on historical patterns.

💡White Dwarf

A white dwarf is the remnant of a low- to medium-mass star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers, leaving behind a dense core composed mostly of carbon and oxygen. It is extremely dense and cannot undergo further nuclear reactions, but its mass is not enough to form a neutron star or black hole.

💡Binary Star System

A binary star system consists of two stars that are gravitationally bound to each other and orbit around their common center of mass. These systems can lead to unique interactions, such as mass transfer from one star to another, which can result in phenomena like recurrent Novas.

💡Accretion Disc

An accretion disc is a structure formed when material from one celestial body, such as a star in a binary system, spirals inwards towards another body, like a white dwarf. The material forms a disk around the central object due to the conservation of angular momentum, and this disc can become unstable and lead to a Nova event.

💡Nuclear Detonation

Nuclear detonation refers to the rapid release of energy through nuclear reactions, such as fusion or fission. In the context of a Nova, it describes the sudden and massive release of energy when the accumulated material on a white dwarf reaches a critical point and undergoes a thermonuclear explosion.

💡T Coronae Borealis

T Coronae Borealis is a binary star system known for its recurrent Nova events. It consists of a white dwarf and a companion star that transfers mass to the white dwarf, leading to periodic outbursts. The system has been observed to have Nova events approximately every 80 years.

💡Stellar Remnant

A stellar remnant is the remaining core of a star after it has exhausted its nuclear fuel and undergone changes such as shedding its outer layers or exploding. This term can refer to various end states of stars, including white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.

💡Electron Degenerate Matter

Electron degenerate matter is a state of matter that occurs in extremely dense objects like white dwarfs, where the electrons are packed so closely together that they reach a quantum mechanical limit known as the Chandrasekhar limit. This state prevents the white dwarf from collapsing further under its own gravity.

💡Historical Records

Historical records are documents or accounts from the past that provide information about events, people, and cultures of earlier times. In the context of the video, historical records are used to verify and predict astronomical events such as the recurrent Nova in T Coronae Borealis.

💡Scientific Prediction

A scientific prediction is a forecast made based on the application of scientific theories and empirical data. It involves using established knowledge to anticipate future outcomes, such as the occurrence of astronomical events like the recurrent Nova.

Highlights

The biggest astronomical event of 2024 is the solar eclipse on April 8th, but for astronomers, a more interesting event is the recurrent Nova.

The recurrent Nova occurs every 80 years and is a rare opportunity to observe a phenomenon that usually isn't visible.

The Nova is a stellar remnant, a dense core of a star that has collapsed but not enough mass to form a neutron star or black hole.

White dwarfs form electron degenerate matter, preventing further collapse and maintaining their size and shape.

About half of the stars in the galaxy are binary, and their interaction can lead to unique effects, such as the formation of a white dwarf and a red giant.

When a red giant expands and interacts with a white dwarf, it can form an accretion disc and eventually lead to a nuclear detonation, known as a Nova.

Novae are visible as new stars, hence the name 'Nova' meaning new, and are a result of a massive nuclear explosion around the white dwarf.

The system T Coronae Borealis is known for its Novae, with the most famous eruption occurring in 1946 and predicted recurrences.

The 1946 Nova was visible without binoculars or a telescope and was one of the 100 brightest stars in the night sky.

Recent observations of T Coronae Borealis show increased activity similar to the period before the 1946 Nova, suggesting an imminent event.

The predicted date for the next Nova in T Coronae Borealis is around April plus or minus 3 months, making it a potential event from April to September 2024.

The upcoming Nova is expected to be 2.5 magnitude, extremely close to the brightness of the North Star, Polaris.

This event is once in a lifetime, occurring every 80 years, and is more rare than the solar eclipse or most other astronomical events.

Scientist Bradley Sheffer's historical research supports the 80-year recurrence period of the Nova, with records dating back to 1789 and 12177.

Observing the Nova in real-time is crucial for the scientific community to understand the processes and potential future of our Sun.

The binary system of T Coronae Borealis, with its short orbital period and material transfer, is on the brink of a significant event.

The rarity of recurrent Novae, with only about a dozen known in the galaxy, emphasizes the exceptional nature of the upcoming event.

The scientific community is eagerly awaiting the Nova to learn more about the lifecycle of stars and the mysteries surrounding them.

The upcoming Nova event is expected to be the brightest ever observed, outshining any other astronomical event for at least the next century.

Transcripts

00:00

so even though the biggest astronomical

00:02

event of 2024 is I guess the solar

00:05

eclipse on April 8th of 2024 at least

00:08

that's the one that everyone is talking

00:09

about technically for astronomers it's

00:12

not that ear it's actually the event

00:14

we're going to be discussing today and

00:16

it's a recurring event that happens

00:19

every 80 years and so basically in 2024

00:23

we get two separate opportunities to

00:25

observe something that we usually don't

00:27

get to see obviously the solar eclipse

00:30

but also what's known as a recurrent

00:32

Nova and so how wonderful person this is

00:35

Anton today we're going to discuss this

00:37

astronomical event that actually might

00:38

have already happened when you're

00:40

watching this video or it might have not

00:43

we don't actually know the exact date

00:45

yet but it's happening really really

00:47

soon or so thees scientist think but

00:50

first let's actually talk about what it

00:51

is and how all of this works and it all

00:54

starts with wide Wars these very unusual

00:57

objects we're going to be discussing

00:58

again in a video very soon because

01:00

something really important was

01:01

discovered about them but also a type of

01:03

an object that the sun is going to

01:05

become as well this is what's known as a

01:07

stellar Remnant in some sense the core

01:10

of the star itself that becomes

01:12

extremely dense and collapses on itself

01:15

but is unable to produce a neutron star

01:17

or a black hole because it just doesn't

01:19

have enough Mass but it does have enough

01:21

Mass to form what's known as electron

01:23

degenerate matter on the inside that's

01:26

able to prevent further collapse in

01:28

other words it's actually been compared

01:29

to a kind of an ocean of electrons that

01:32

because of various Quantum effects such

01:33

as the inability of electrons to be in

01:36

the same place prevents the object from

01:38

growing smaller and maintains the

01:40

overall size and shape and most of the

01:42

stars in the galaxy including our sun

01:44

are going to become one of these and

01:46

they're actually going to stay this way

01:47

for billions and billions of years wide

01:50

Wars tend to stay this way and don't

01:52

change much over a very long period of

01:54

time but the thing is about half of the

01:56

stars in the galaxy are binary and that

01:59

means that sometimes you'll actually get

02:01

two stars growing older at different

02:04

times one might have already become a

02:06

whitew Warf and one is still in its red

02:08

giant stage and if these two stars orbit

02:11

close enough they actually tend to

02:13

interact producing very specific very

02:16

unique effects one might have already

02:18

become a whitew Warf but the other one

02:20

is still going through its red giant

02:21

stage and so here as the red giant

02:24

starts to expand and starts to basically

02:26

become larger and larger sometimes it's

02:29

our layers start to interact with the

02:31

wide dwarf and in those cases wide

02:33

dwarfs will actually start absorbing a

02:36

lot of this mass and essentially create

02:38

an accretion disc around themselves

02:40

forming something similar to what you

02:42

see right here and in those cases when

02:44

these accretion discs become thick

02:46

enough or actually acquire just enough

02:48

Mass they reach a kind of instability

02:50

period where at some point within just

02:52

weeks or sometimes months they reach a

02:54

point of a nuclear detonation literally

02:57

a massive nuclear bomb explodes around

03:00

the wiw warf as most of the acction disc

03:03

suddenly turns into energy and in

03:05

essence this is what we call Nova not

03:08

super nova just Nova it's cool that

03:11

because back in the days from a distance

03:13

it looked like some kind of a new star

03:15

and Nova means new and this is basically

03:18

what we're going to be observing

03:20

sometimes in 2024 but the thing is I've

03:22

actually discussed this particular

03:23

prediction almost like a decade ago I

03:25

think possibly in 2016 this is when

03:28

originally some initial predictions

03:30

started to be made and so back then

03:32

researchers actually realized something

03:34

unusual about a system known as T Corona

03:37

Borealis A system that we already knew

03:40

was actually a Nova previously possibly

03:42

at least twice the most well-known

03:45

eruption was back in 1946 and it was

03:47

obviously studied and observed by a lot

03:49

of different astronomers but originally

03:51

this particular star was found back in

03:54

1866 80 years prior because of its

03:57

previous eruption and because normally

03:59

you're not actually going to be able to

04:00

see the star without at least binoculars

04:03

or a small telescope but in 1866 and

04:06

1946 suddenly we had a new star we had a

04:10

Nova with this lasting for just under

04:12

one week and this was a pretty bright

04:14

star it suddenly became one of the 100

04:17

brightest stars in the night skies

04:19

Technically when it happens again it's

04:21

even going to be visible in a typical

04:23

City here white pollution is not going

04:25

to hide it and so several studies from

04:27

years ago essentially analyzed the

04:29

active state in 2015 and 2016 realizing

04:33

something really strange here the star

04:35

suddenly became a little bit brighter a

04:37

little bit more active produced more

04:39

radio light produced more x-rays with

04:42

the overall increase in production

04:44

extremely similar to what happened in

04:47

1938 basically 8 years before the 1946

04:51

eruption moreover additional

04:53

observations and additional studies from

04:55

just a few years ago revealed an unusual

04:57

dip or unusual demmon event sometime in

05:00

June of 2018 and then a much larger dip

05:03

in March of 2023 basically last year and

05:07

this was extremely similar to a very

05:08

sudden dip in 1945 as you can see here

05:12

it was May to June 1945 and literally 9

05:16

to 10 months later we suddenly had this

05:18

very large very explosive event as a

05:21

result that particular paper predicted

05:22

that this Nova will probably happen in

05:25

January of

05:26

2024 well it didn't but I think it's

05:29

more it didn't yet in the past a lot of

05:32

predictions of various Nova usually

05:34

involved large timeline errors and so in

05:37

this case it's probably going to be at

05:38

least plus minus 7 months now because

05:41

this particular star is approximately

05:43

3,000 light years away from us being

05:45

able to suddenly see it with a naked eye

05:47

is already pretty impressive but what's

05:49

even more impressive is actually if you

05:51

compare this to other Nova and

05:53

specifically are the recurrent Nova

05:55

here's a very short list there's

05:57

basically like a dozen or so and most of

06:00

them are really well known and moreover

06:02

pretty much for most of them the

06:03

predictions so far have been relatively

06:06

accurate the most recent one was just

06:08

over a year ago and it was a recurring

06:09

Nova in U scorp here the peak magnitude

06:12

was approximately eight then just a year

06:15

prior to this we had an eruption from a

06:17

very famous Nova RS of fokai and this

06:20

one is known to have happened many many

06:22

times but here the brightest it's ever

06:24

been was magnitude of five sore visible

06:27

with a naked eye but kind of difficult

06:30

this though the Nova that's about to

06:32

happen is going to be 2.5 magnitude and

06:35

if you know anything about magnitudes

06:37

that's pretty bright it's extremely

06:39

close to the famous North Star or

06:41

Polaris meaning that it's going to be

06:43

extremely easily visible not as easily

06:45

visible as serus which is a little bit

06:47

brighter and actually does contain its

06:49

own wiw Warf right there but definitely

06:52

bright enough to be visible from a

06:53

typical City and moreover once again

06:55

this is one of those once in a lifetime

06:57

events it seems to happen every 80 years

07:01

and intriguingly one of the scientists

07:02

wanted to find out if the period is

07:04

really 80 years or not and so Bradley

07:07

Sheffer essentially went through various

07:09

historical records looking for signs of

07:11

unusual stars in this region and he did

07:13

find writings from Reverend Francis

07:16

Williston who back in 1789 reported an

07:19

unusual star appearing for a few days in

07:22

the location of Corona Borealis pretty

07:24

much exactly where we expect this NOA to

07:26

happen likewise sixth Century before

07:29

this in 12177 there was an eyewitness

07:31

report by Abbott Berard of absur of some

07:35

kind of a stellar source that suddenly

07:37

produced a lot of light and lasted for

07:39

many days back then he saw this as a

07:41

wonderful sign today we also see it as a

07:44

wonderful sign but for a very different

07:46

wonderful reason scientific reason it

07:48

basically reminds us that modern science

07:50

is super correct and helps us predict

07:53

events we knew nothing about just a few

07:55

hundred years ago and so I guess the

07:57

question is okay so when exactly is it

07:59

going to happen since we only have a few

08:01

days to observe it how do we make sure

08:02

we don't miss it well right now the

08:04

prediction is set for April plusus 3

08:08

months so basically April May June July

08:11

maybe August maybe September and so by

08:14

September of 2024 we should see

08:17

something the Nova should have already

08:18

happened because right now the

08:20

observations are very similar to various

08:22

PR NOA events in 1946 and just to make

08:25

this a little bit more interesting let's

08:27

turn it into a game try to predict it

08:30

leave a comment below with some kind of

08:32

a date essentially starting today up

08:34

until I guess anytime in the future when

08:36

you think this might happen and if one

08:38

of you wonderful prophets succeeds in

08:40

guessing the actual day of the Nova oh

08:43

there might be a surprise or present or

08:45

something I didn't really plan this one

08:47

yet but I don't know you might get

08:48

something possibly a t-shirt possibly

08:51

something else I'll think about it but

08:52

anyway I'm going to start I'm going to

08:54

go with a date that's kind of important

08:56

for me personally September 27th I'll

08:59

explain why a bit later so yeah as long

09:01

as you predict this before it happens

09:03

not on a day and not after I'll consider

09:06

you a winner and if a bunch of you

09:07

predict the same date I guess you're all

09:09

winners kind of anyway either way when

09:13

this happens it's going to be very

09:14

important for the scientific Community

09:16

being able to observe these events in

09:18

real time and studying what happens to

09:20

these Stars the red giant and the whitew

09:22

warf which are the same two stages our

09:24

son is going to go through as well we'll

09:26

probably teach us a little bit more

09:28

about what happens to these St and what

09:30

might happen to the Sun as well and in

09:32

case of this particular system it

09:34

already has a few mysteries for example

09:36

for some reason there seems to be an

09:38

unusual lack of oxygen inside the red

09:40

giant currently it's unknown why on top

09:42

of this the scientists want to

09:44

understand why there are so few of these

09:46

recurrent Nova out there now previous

09:48

research suggested that all Nova are

09:50

recurrent they just have very different

09:52

periods some of them happen every few

09:54

years some of them might happen every

09:56

few centuries so we basically don't live

09:59

long enough to see any of them

10:01

nevertheless because there are only like

10:02

a dozen so far known to us in the Galaxy

10:05

that by itself is a really small number

10:07

and that of course highlights how

10:09

exceptionally rare this particular event

10:11

is way more rare than the solar eclipse

10:14

and way more rare than anything else

10:16

we'll see in the next few decades okay

10:18

except for maybe Certain comets but most

10:21

comets are pretty common and so

10:22

basically in the next few months we'll

10:24

be hearing more about this binary system

10:27

3,000 light years away from us with two

10:29

tus orbiting each other every 228 days

10:32

in case you're wondering the distance

10:34

between them is approximately half as

10:36

much as the distance of Earth from the

10:37

Sun but because the transfer of material

10:40

is about to reach its peak which is

10:42

probably why we're seeing these unusual

10:43

dips it means that the exposion itself

10:46

is pretty much imminent it's definitely

10:48

going to happen any time now and the

10:50

reason I'm saying this with so much

10:51

confidence is because previous

10:53

predictions from for example us Scorpio

10:56

were also spot on as well this was

10:58

predicted years ahead had and it

11:00

happened within just a few months of the

11:02

predicted date same thing for this

11:03

particular Nova and for many others but

11:06

because this is going to be the

11:08

brightest event ever possibly the

11:10

brightest one we're going to see for at

11:11

least another Century that's why it

11:13

deserves its own video in terms of

11:15

science and astronomy this is going to

11:17

be much much bigger than the solar

11:19

eclipse and so once it does happen we'll

11:21

come back and talk more about actual

11:22

discoveries and if one of you guesses

11:24

the date we'll probably talk about the

11:26

winner and the prize until then thank

11:28

you for watching subscribe share this

11:29

with someone who loves learn about space

11:31

and Sciences come back tomorrow to learn

11:33

something else support this channel on

11:34

patreon by joing Channel membership or

11:36

by buying the wonderful present tshirt

11:37

you can find in description stay

11:39

wonderful I'll see you tomorrow and as

11:40

always

11:50

[Music]

11:58

bye-bye

11:59

[Music]