You can now observe it from sunset to around 1 am in the NE. It sets at around 2 am, but you'll have a hard time seeing it after 1 am. It's too faint to be seen by the naked eye but when it goes nova it should be visible. I have to take issue with this:
"The explosion will be visible to the naked eye. Schaefer expects it to be about as bright as the North Star (2nd magnitude). When it blows, T CrB will burst forth as an extra jewel in the "Northern Crown" (the constellation Corona Borealis), easy to find high in the summer night sky between Hercules and Bootes.
"T CrB will be the brightest nova for generations," says Schaefer. "It's a chance for everyone in the world to step outside, look up, and see the hellfire."
It will surely be hellfire if you lived in that system when the nova occurs, but from our position, it's going to look like a normal star. Unless something unexpected happens, it'll be about as bright as the pole star, as mentioned, and that's about it. Scientifically, it will be very interesting, but for the casual observer, I don't think it'll make headline news anywhere.
PS. If anyone is interested in the science behind novae and why recurrent novae are predictable, I'll be happy to explain if you don't want to look it up yourself. Just ask.
"The explosion will be visible to the naked eye. Schaefer expects it to be about as bright as the North Star (2nd magnitude). When it blows, T CrB will burst forth as an extra jewel in the "Northern Crown" (the constellation Corona Borealis), easy to find high in the summer night sky between Hercules and Bootes.
"T CrB will be the brightest nova for generations," says Schaefer. "It's a chance for everyone in the world to step outside, look up, and see the hellfire."
It will surely be hellfire if you lived in that system when the nova occurs, but from our position, it's going to look like a normal star. Unless something unexpected happens, it'll be about as bright as the pole star, as mentioned, and that's about it. Scientifically, it will be very interesting, but for the casual observer, I don't think it'll make headline news anywhere.
PS. If anyone is interested in the science behind novae and why recurrent novae are predictable, I'll be happy to explain if you don't want to look it up yourself. Just ask.