Dead Star “T Coronae Borealis” to come alive very soon spectacularly in 2024
Whats a Nova? How two Stars Create a Dazzling Lightshow
Think of a binary star system as two pals who are constantly hanging out in space. This star system is basically two stars that are stuck together by gravity, kind of like two friends always orbiting each other in space. Instead of a single star like our Sun, a binary system has two stars. These stars can be similar in size or very different, with one being a big giant and the other a tiny shrunken star.
The gravity of both stars pulls on each other, keeping them locked in a dance around a central point. It’s like they’re both whirling around a shared invisible pole.
The red giant star is a bit dirty and is continuously releasing a coating of gas. This vaporous outer layer drifts towards the white dwarf and accumulates on its surface. Because it is so dense and wants everything to be compressed tightly, the white dwarf is cranky. This wouldn’t normally be an issue, but the gassy skin is primarily hydrogen, which functions as star fuel.
Imagine the white dwarf as a tiny, extremely hot pressure cooker at this point. The white dwarf’s interior pressure increases as layers of gassy skin accumulate. All of a sudden, BHOOM! A Nova occurs when all that hydrogen explodes in a huge explosion that temporarily brightens the entire star system.
This specific type of stellar explosion in a binary star system is know as NOVA. It’s a dramatic increase in brightness caused by a thermonuclear runaway on the surface of a white dwarf.
Because it is bigger, the red giant star sheds its outer layers of gas that is rich in hydrogen. The white dwarf’s gravity draws this hydrogen gas in, causing it to accumulate on its surface. A quick and intense fusion reaction of the accumulated hydrogen occurs due to the extreme temperature and pressure on the white dwarf. This results in a massive energy release that skyrockets the star system’s brightness.
