Now, a whole new generation of stargazers is scanning the sky again because scientists estimate that T Cor Bor flares up about every 80 years.
On a crystal clear night at Bannau Brycheiniog Dark Sky Reserve, also known as the Brecon Beacons, astronomers set up their telescopes.
“T Cor Bohr is faint at the moment – it’s magnitude 10, which is much lower than what can be seen with the naked eye,” explains Dr. Jennifer Millard of Fifth Star Labs.
To find the part of the sky where it should appear, she advises first finding a plow and following its handle to Arcturus. To the west of this star is the curved seven-star constellation Corona Borealis, where T Cor Bor will burn at some point.
“It will be visible to the naked eye only in a couple of days,” she says.
“Certainly if you have a small pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you can see it a little bit longer because you have a magnifying instrument. But I think it’s the short stay in heaven that makes it really special.”
