Space Astronomers predict a “red nova” will brighten our skies in 2022

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Astronomers predict a “red nova” will brighten our skies in 2022

V838_Mon_HST-800x690.jpg

Enlarge / In 2002 the Hubble Space Telescope observed V838 Monocerotis, a suspected red nova. (credit: NASA)


Astronomers studying a binary star system about 1,800 light years from the Sun say they are increasingly confident that the two stars will merge into a luminous red nova in about five years. At its brightest, the spectacular explosion produced by this nova could reach an apparent magnitude of about 2.0, akin to a bright star in the night sky, making it visible even from most urban areas.

The team of astronomers, led by Calvin College's Lawrence Molnar, presented their findings late last week at the American Astronomical Society’s annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. The researchers have been studying the binary star system, KIC 9832227, since the year 2013, after they noticed the stars getting closer and closer together.

Based upon earlier observations of another binary star system that merged, V1309 Scorpii, the astronomers made predictions about the timing and distance between the two stars in the KIC 9832227 system as they spiraled in toward one another. Then, in 2015, the astronomers made observations that matched their exponential plot of light curves and orbital velocities. "The merger hypothesis has had predictive power and we currently have no alternative explanation for its timing behavior," the authors state.


(Read full story at Ars Technica)
 
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How long will it be visible? Does this mean Earthlings will be able to view a red dot (for lack of a better description) in the night sky for generations to come? :watching:
 
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