Latest news with #V462Lup
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Unexpected explosion in the Milky Way creates a new star. Where you can see it
Sky watchers around the world have a new star to hunt for in the night sky, thanks to a recently detected explosion in our galaxy. The nova, named V462 Lup, is located within the southern constellation Lupus, according to the American Association of Variable Star Observers database. However, people in North America may be able to see it with the naked eye 'close to the southern horizon, just after sunset,' LiveScience reported. Astronomers from Ohio State University's All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae first detected the new point of light, with a magnitude of +8.7, on June 12. On June 14, Yusuke Tampo, an astronomer at the South African Astronomical Observatory, reported the nova did not exist in previous photometric surveys, confirming it as new, according to email records shared by The Astronomer's Telegram. Astronomer Dawid Moździerski, who photographed V462 Lup from Chile's Atacama desert, said the star's magnitude had increased to +5.7, making it visible without the need for a telescope or binoculars, according to an image shared on A nova is 'a sudden, short-lived explosion from a compact star not much larger than Earth,', according to NASA. 'The explosion happens when a collapsed star known as a white dwarf circles so close to a normal star that a stream of gas flows between them,' experts said. This gas accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf 'until it reaches a flash point and detonates in a runaway thermonuclear explosion,' NASA said. Astronomers estimate that 'between 20 and 50 novae occur each year in our galaxy,' most of which go unnoticed, according to experts. Online star charts like SkyLive can help you find which constellations are visible in your area and how to locate certain objects in the night sky.
India Today
19-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
You can see a massive star explosion with naked eyes in the sky
A dramatic astronomical event unfolded in the southern constellation Lupus on June 12, 2025, when a star known as V462 Lup exploded in a classical nova, increasing its brightness more than four million times in just outburst, now at magnitude +5.7, has pushed the nova just above the threshold for naked-eye visibility, offering a rare spectacle for skywatchers across the Southern nova was captured in stunning detail by Dawid Mozdzierski from the Atacama Desert in Chile, while South Korean astronomer Bum-Suk Yeom published a finder chart to help enthusiasts locate the transient star in the night sky. Photo: Bum-Suk Yeom Classical novas like V462 Lup occur in binary star systems, where a dense white dwarf siphons gas from a bloated companion enough material accumulates, it triggers a sudden thermonuclear explosion, causing the system to brighten naked-eye novas are uncommon, typically appearing only about once a year, and most hover so close to the limit of human vision that they often go unnoticed. V462 Lup's rapid rise to magnitude +5.7 places it just within reach for unaided observers under dark skies, though its future remains uncertain. 'Will V462 Lup continue to brighten and clear this low bar? Or fade before most people can see it?' asked one astronomer, highlighting the fleeting nature of these cosmic events. A newly-discovered nova in Lupus, V462 Lupi, which is going to be a naked-eye nova. (Photo: Dawid Mozdzierski) advertisementThe explosion of V462 Lup is a reminder of the dynamic and ever-changing documented by Chinese astronomers two millennia ago, novas continue to fascinate scientists and stargazers now, those in the Southern Hemisphere have a rare opportunity to witness a stellar explosion with their own eyes—if they catch it before it fades back into Reel
