Space & Astronomy

Two stars explode at the same time in rare 'double nova' event

By T.K. Randall
July 2, 2025 ·  0 comments

Nova Vela 0572. Image Credit: Eliot Herman Back on June 12th, astronomers reported the discovery of a striking new star in the sky - V462 Lupi - which had suddenly become millions of times brighter thanks to a dramatic stellar outburst known as a nova.

This happens when a powerful explosion occurs on a white dwarf star's surface, producing an intense burst of light that can be seen from thousands of light-years away.

Incredibly, however, just two weeks later, another bright star became visible - V572 Velorum - which had also seen a nova explosion that made it stand out against the night sky.

This extremely rare 'duel nova' event is practically unheard of as novae are typically only spotted once a year, making two at the same time particularly unusual."This is without question an extremely rare event, if not an historical one," astronomer Stephen O'Meara told Space Weather.

"I have yet to find an occurrence of two simultaneous nova appearing at the same time."

Novae are different from supernovae in that they only effect the star's outer layers, as oppose to destroying them completely.

It is also possible for a star to see multiple novae occur over its lifetime.

Source: Live Science | Comments (0)

Tags: Supernova