NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
- A rare cosmic explosion, visible to the naked eye, is set to take place by September.
- It will occur when the star system T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) explodes after a thermonuclear reaction.
- The event only occurs once roughly every 80 years, NASA says.
A rare cosmic explosion that NASA describes as a "once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity" is expected to take place by September, the space agency has said.
The "nova" explosion will be visible to the naked eye despite occurring 3,000 lightyears away from Earth.
It will occur when the star system T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) explodes after a thermonuclear reaction between the system's white dwarf — which is the core of a dead star — and its red giant star.