See a nova appear with the naked eye when a small, dense, white dwarf star cannibalizes a companion red giant star. Astronomers expect the rare event to occur before 2026, with some anticipating an outburst in late summer 2024.
From KPVillas, follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper toward the bright star Arcturus in the west ("arc to Arcturus"). Arcturus anchors the kite-like constellation Boötes. To its left is Corona Borealis, the northern crown, where the "new" star will emerge suddenly from the background.
On the left (east) side of the U-shaped crown is the existing star pair. To photograph the constellation, aim a cell phone camera so Arcturus is in the bottom right of the frame. Corona Borealis will then be captured by a 3-second (or more) exposure.
Only KPVillas residents who were born before 1944 could have seen this star pair turn into a nova. For details, see https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/photograph-a-new-star.
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