{"id":251114,"date":"2025-09-24T12:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T12:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251114\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T12:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T12:50:14","slug":"new-nova-in-centaurus-might-be-visible-to-the-unaided-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251114\/","title":{"rendered":"New nova in Centaurus might be visible to the unaided eye"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AnimationBOOM! A possible new nova has appeared in the southern constellation Centaurus<\/a> the Centaur. This animation shows the before and after of this region of sky. It\u2019s courtesy of E. Guido\/ M. Rocchetto\/ L. Izzo\/ Spaceflux<\/a>. Used with permission.
\nNew nova might be visible to the unaided eye<\/p>\n

In an \u201cobserving alerts\u201d forum of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO<\/a>), observers on September 22, 2025, reported<\/a> a possible new nova \u2013 a star where no star appeared before \u2013 in the direction of the southern constellation Centaurus<\/a>. The nova was reported as magnitude 6<\/a>, or just on the edge of visibility to the eye. So it might be just in reach of the unaided eye from a dark-sky site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The observer report at the AAVSO website says that John Seach discovered this nova.<\/p>\n

The coordinates of the suspected nova are RA = 14 37 21.77 Dec = -58 47 40.0. This location on the sky is quite close to the famous star Alpha Centauri<\/a>, closest star system to our sun at 4.3 light-years<\/a>. This does not mean, of course, that the nova is connected to Alpha Centauri in any way, or that it\u2019s close to our neighborhood of space. We don\u2019t yet know how far away it lies. It just means the nova is in the same direction of sky as Alpha Centauri.<\/p>\n

The constellation Centaurus the Centaur lies in Southern Hemisphere skies. It sits so far south that if you live above 25 degrees north latitude<\/a>, you won\u2019t be able to see it.<\/p>\n

\"NewView larger<\/a>. | At center (the open circle with hashmarks) is the possible new nova in Centaurus. This map from AAVSO shows the nearby star Alpha Centauri<\/a> as the bold dot near the center, with the star Hadar to the left. The chart appears upside down from how many star charts portray the southern constellation Centaurus. Image via AAVSO<\/a>.
\n\"StarCentaurus the Centaur is a constellation that lies in Southern Hemisphere skies. It\u2019s home to the closest stars<\/a> to our sun. Chart via EarthSky<\/a>.
\nMore info on the nova<\/p>\n

The nova was only very recently discovered, so information and images are still sparse. Starting on September 22, 2025, the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams had a few reports of the nova, too. The first reads<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\n

Possible new nova in Centaurus. Discovered by John Seach, Grafton, NSW, Australia. Object visible on 3 images taken with DSLR with 40 mm f\/1.4 lens. No object identified at position on 3 images taken with same instrument on September 21. 3660 UT, limiting magnitude 11.0. No minor planet at position \u2026 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Another report reads: <\/p>\n

\n

A low-resolution optical spectrum shows strong broad hydrogen Balmer emissions<\/a>, indicative of a classical nova. Observer Rob Kaufman, Bright, Victoria, Australia.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The current name for this transient object is PNV J14372177-5847400.<\/p>\n

\n

??????????????PNV J14372177-5847400cbat.eps.harvard.edu\/unconf\/follo\u20266.2???????????????????????????????????????<\/p>\n

\u2014 ?????????????? (@localgroupjp.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-09-23T01:16:24.714Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What exactly is a nova?<\/p>\n

A nova always involves two closely-orbiting stars. One is a tiny, dense white dwarf<\/a> about the size of Earth. And the companion star may be similar in mass to our sun. The white dwarf\u2019s powerful gravity siphons material (mostly hydrogen) away from its companion over thousands of years. The hot gas forms a disk around the dwarf, which funnels the material down to the star\u2019s surface. In time, the pilfered gas is compacted and heated until it ignites in a massive thermonuclear<\/a> blast a million times brighter than the light of both stars combined.<\/p>\n

To our eyes the explosion looks like a brand-new star in the night sky. Previously, the pair was there for a long, long time, but too faint to call attention to itself.<\/p>\n

Good news \u2026 The dwarf typically survives the blast and begins anew to gather more hydrogen for the next eruption. When you know what\u2019s behind that single pinpoint of light, it\u2019s a marvel!<\/p>\n

\"AArtist\u2019s concept of a white dwarf<\/a> star siphoning material from a companion just before it goes nova. Image via Astro Bob<\/a>. Used with permission.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: It appears there\u2019s a new nova \u2013 or guest star \u2013 in the southern constellation of Centaurus. The nova could be visible with your eyes alone from a dark-sky site.<\/p>\n

Centaurus the Centaur is home to some nearby stars<\/a><\/p>\n

A nova or \u2018new star\u2019 in Lupus: Photos from our community<\/a><\/p>\n

Kelly Kizer Whitt
\n View Articles<\/a><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/p>\n

Kelly Kizer Whitt – EarthSky\u2019s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube – writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She’s been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children’s picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BOOM! A possible new nova has appeared in the southern constellation Centaurus the Centaur. This animation shows the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":251115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[159,783,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-251114","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-space","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115259364117485366","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}