This year’s majesticPerseid meteor showerisn’t the only spectacular sight in the evening sky this week.
Anovais different from a supernova, which is basically a sort of death spasm for a massive star.
When a star does this repeatedly, it’s a recurrent nova.
Look for the novae due south at dusk.
More to come!pic.twitter.com/m63Ey7dV7P
The small star suddenly brightened 600-fold on Sunday, according toTony Phillips at Spaceweather.com.
Observations onMonday showit continued to grow a bit brighter and is still shining.
“At 5th magnitude, the current outburst is visible to the unaided eye, albeit just barely.
Binoculars or a telescope will allow you to see it with ease,” Phillips writes.
“Look south after sunset.
Ophiuchus hangs high in the sky just above the better known constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius.”
RS Ophiuchi only has an outburst about once every 15 to 20 years.
