Starwatch: a 2,600-year wait to see T Coronae Borealis explosion

Light from the detonation, which will make the star visible without an aid, has been travelling through space all this time

We are still waiting for the star T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) to do its thing. First mentioned in April, the star experiences a thermonuclear detonation on its surface roughly every 80 years. This explosion will make the star visible without an aid for the first time since the 1940s.

The chart shows the view looking south-south-west from London at about 2300 BST. It marks the location to keep an eye on. When it erupts, T CrB is expected to reach the same brightness as Alphecca, the brightest star in the constellation of Corona Borealis, the northern crown.