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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.
