Blazing star of the Northern Crown

High above Mars and Saturn in the increasingly twilit night sky is a fiery star that could blow at any time

The Sun is nearing its most northerly point at the solstice on the 20th, meaning that Britain's nights are brief and becoming increasingly twilit if we, too, venture northwards. We do have three bright planets, though - Jupiter, which sinks towards our W horizon during the first half of the night, and Mars and Saturn which are the two brightest objects low in the S as it does so.

High above Mars and Saturn is the semicircle of stars that make up Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. It is here that a remarkable star may be preparing to brighten dramatically to justify its reputation as the Blaze Star.