description T Coronae Borealis Overview
T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, is a recurrent nova in the constellation Corona Borealis. It is a symbiotic binary containing a white dwarf and a red giant; material transferred from the giant accumulates on the white dwarf until a thermonuclear eruption causes a sharp increase in brightness. Recorded eruptions occurred in 1866 and 1946, and the system is also known as the Blaze Star. Such outbursts recur on a timescale of roughly eight decades, although the interval is not exact.
help T Coronae Borealis FAQ
What causes T Coronae Borealis to erupt?
T Coronae Borealis is a symbiotic binary in which a white dwarf pulls material from a red giant companion. Once enough material accumulates, a thermonuclear eruption occurs on the white dwarf's surface, producing a nova rather than destroying the binary. [NASA nova overview](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies/2024/02/27/view-nova-explosion-new-star-in-northern-crown/)
When did T Coronae Borealis last erupt?
The last observed eruption was in 1946, with another major recorded outburst in 1866. The roughly 80-year interval is why astronomers classify T CrB as a recurrent nova. [NASA Goddard animation](https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20393)
Why did astronomers expect another T Coronae Borealis eruption around 2024?
The forecast was based on the approximate interval between the 1866 and 1946 outbursts and on a pre-eruption brightness pattern seen before 1946. That timing was a prediction window, not a guaranteed calendar date, and newer studies continue to treat the next eruption as probabilistic.
Where should observers look for T Coronae Borealis?
It lies in Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, between the constellations Bootes and Hercules. In quiescence it is too faint for easy naked-eye viewing, but a nova eruption could temporarily raise it to naked-eye brightness. [NASA Goddard animation](https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20393)
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