Health/Sci-TechLifestyleVOLUME 20 ISSUE # 32

A ‘new star’ becomes visible in North America

A “new star” is shining in the constellation Lupus thanks to an unexpected stellar explosion within the Milky Way — and it can currently be seen with the naked eye from parts of North America.

On June 12, astronomers from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae at Ohio State University first spotted the new point of light, which had an apparent magnitude of +8.7 at the time, still too dim to be seen by the naked eye, Sky & Telescope originally reported. (A smaller magnitude signifies a brighter object; for example, the moon has an apparent magnitude of -12.7).

Over the next few days, the rapidly brightening object took on several temporary names — including AT 2025nlr, ASASSN-25cm, and N Lup 2025 — as researchers scrambled to determine its identity. Astronomer Yusuke Tampo, from the South African Astronomical Observatory at the University of Cape Town, then analyzed the light coming from the object and determined that it is likely a classical nova — a massive stellar explosion that temporarily shines bright in the night sky. On June 16, it was given the official designation V462 Lupi.

By June 18, V462 Lupi had brightened to an apparent magnitude of +5.7, which makes it just visible to the naked eye. This also makes it around 4 million times brighter than its extremely dim progenitor star was before June 12, according to Spaceweather.com. There is a chance that the nova will continue to brighten in the coming days, making it even easier to spot.

The Lupus constellation is located in the southern sky, meaning that V462 Lupi is most easily visible from the Southern Hemisphere. However, it can also be seen from North America, close to the southern horizon, just after sunset. Amateur astronomers from the U.S. have reported seeing it in places such as Arizona and California, and as far north as Lake Superior, according to Sky & Telescope.

You may be able to spot it without any additional equipment. However, it would be easier to spot if you had a decent telescope or a pair of stargazing binoculars, especially if you are viewing it from the U.S. or if the explosion starts to dim over the coming days.

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