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Two novas appeared in the sky at the same time, which is exceptional

An artist's impression showing a nova sucking matter from its host star. (Image source: K. Ulaczyk, Warsaw University Observatory)
An artist's impression showing a nova sucking matter from its host star. (Image source: K. Ulaczyk, Warsaw University Observatory)
Two novas appeared in the sky at the same time, which is a very rare event. This should enable scientists to study this type of cosmic phenomenon more effectively.

As we saw recently with the discovery of a gigantic water reservoir in space, the universe never ceases to amaze us. And recently, an exceptional event took place above our heads. Two novas appeared in a very short period of time, which is extremely rare. 

So, if you are in the habit of looking at the sky, you have probably already observed sudden and powerful luminous phenomena. But leaving aside any theories related to extraterrestrial life, some phenomena are easily explainable, even though they are unique. This is the case with these two stars that appeared in the night sky within two weeks of each other. 

V572 Velorum on the left and V462 Lupi on the right. (Image source: Eliot Herman)
V572 Velorum on the left and V462 Lupi on the right. (Image source: Eliot Herman)

The first star is V462 Lupi and was detected on June 12. The second is V572 Velorum, which appeared on June 25 in the constellation Vela. According to EarthSky.org, both stars reached a level of brightness powerful enough to be observed with the naked eye. 

Going into more detail, V572 Velorum shone brighter with a magnitude of +4.8 and can easily be observed if you are in the southern hemisphere. As for V462 Lupi, although it is less bright, its magnitude makes it visible whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere. 

The location of the novae V462 Lupi and V572 Velorum in the constellations Lupus and Vela. (Image source: IAU/Wikimedia - Live Science)
The location of the novae V462 Lupi and V572 Velorum in the constellations Lupus and Vela. (Image source: IAU/Wikimedia - Live Science)

But if you think this phenomenon isn't all that rare, Stephen James O'Meara told Spaceweather.com that you'd have to go back to 1936 to see a similar event in the night sky. Therefore, these two novas, which are the result of a white dwarf sucking matter from its companion star until it reaches its limit, causing a powerful explosion, are exceptional, both in terms of their brightness and the time between their two appearances. This should allow astronauts to study them in order to better understand how they work and the consequences of such an event.

Source(s)

Techno-Science (in French)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2025 07 > Two novas appeared in the sky at the same time, which is exceptional
Alexis Stegmann, 2025-07-11 (Update: 2025-07-11)