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Credit & Copyright: Mohammad Rahimi    
    
Explanation:
A bright new nova is being studied by astronomers.      
    
The officially dubbed     
Nova Scorpii 2007     
has become so bright in recent days that it is     
now visible     
to the unaided eye.        
    
Adventurous early morning     
sky enthusiasts should look in dark skies toward the     
constellation of the     
Scorpion, just below Jupiter and     
Antares.      
    
The above image may help as a sky chart.       
    
    
A nova this bright occurs only     
every few years.      
    
Novas     
are caused by     
thermonuclear explosions    
casting off the outer layers of a     
white dwarf star.      
    
    
Pictured above on Friday, the nova was being studied through a     
small telescope as it appeared over the     
Varzaneh Desert in     
Isfahan,     
Iran.    
    
The     
nova will likely fade but remain     
visible with binoculars for at least a few more days.    
    
    
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: nova - Scorpius
Publications with words: nova - Scorpius
See also:
