Nova over Thailand
Explanation:
A nova in Sagittarius is bright enough to see with binoculars.
Detected last month, the
stellar explosion
even approached the limit of naked-eye visibility last week.
A classical
nova results from a
thermonuclear explosion
on the surface of a
white dwarf star --
a dense star having the size of our Earth but the mass of our Sun.
In the featured image, the nova was
captured last week above
ancient
Wat
Mahathat in
Sukhothai,
Thailand.
To see
Nova
Sagittarius 2016 yourself,
just go out just after sunset and locate near the western horizon the constellation
of the Archer
(Sagittarius), popularly identified with an
iconic teapot.
Also visible near the
nova is the very bright planet Venus.
Dont delay, though, because not only is the
nova
fading,
but that part of the sky is setting continually closer to sunset.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
