There’s plenty of buzz about the sky on social media these last few days, so we want to dive into what’s going in the Heavens above New England in the days ahead. You can always count on us to tell it like it is…and the reality is the talk of an “exploding star” may or may not happen (and won’t be exceptionally dramatic) and the partial solar eclipse will be blocked by clouds for most (though perhaps not all):
You might’ve heard some buzz: a star in the Corona Borealis constellation, T Coronae Borealis (aka T CrB), is expected to “go nova” soon – maybe even tomorrow, March 27! But we want to set the record straight: this is not guaranteed.
So, what’s the deal with T CrB?
T CrB is a recurrent nova system – two stars in a close binary dance, with one of them (a white dwarf) stealing material from its partner.
When enough hydrogen builds up on the white dwarf’s surface, it ignites in a thermonuclear explosion, brightening dramatically before fading.
These explosions are rare and somewhat predictable – the last was in 1946, and they happen roughly every 80 years. That means we’re in the ballpark.
Several signs have pointed to a potential eruption — changes in brightness and behavior — but similar signs happened in 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023, and… nothing.
If it does blow, it would become as bright as the North Star, visible to the naked eye in a dark sky.
How to see it (if it happens):
Look northwest after dark.
Find the Hercules constellation, and look just west of it — near the “Northern Crown” (Corona Borealis).
You’ll want a star chart or app, since the nova will only last a few days before fading again.
Matt and Danielle say: don’t count on it for Thursday night — but keep your eyes up this spring and summer just in case. It will go boom, we just don’t know exactly when!
The skies over New England will technically host a spectacular sight on Saturday morning, March 29, 2025, when the Moon partially eclipses the Sun — but for most of us, it’ll happen right at sunrise, making viewing both magical and tricky. Plus, the big thing before you get too excited reading this – it looks like a lot of clouds in New England Saturday morning as a frontal boundary and moisture likely will keep skies overcast with precipitation falling for many (see the map atop this article). But southern communities may sneak in some breaks, as well as areas near New York City and also far northeast, so there is at least a little hope for some.
This eclipse follows the recent total lunar eclipse of March 13–14. Now, at new Moon, the Moon aligns closely enough with the Earth-Sun plane to create a partial solar eclipse — a cosmic encore, visible across northeastern North America, Greenland, Iceland, parts of Europe, and Northwest Africa.
Matt and Danielle want you to know: in New England, the eclipse will already be in progress at sunrise, with the Moon slowly moving off the Sun’s disk over the next 30–60 minutes, depending on location.
The farther north and east you are, the more dramatic your eclipse. In places like northern Maine and eastern Canada, you’ll see a thin crescent Sun rise above the horizon — “horns first” — an unforgettable view if skies are clear.
Find a spot with a wide-open east-northeast horizon, like a shoreline or hilltop.
Arrive before sunrise to catch the most obscured Sun.
Use proper eclipse glasses or solar filters to protect your eyes.
For photography, use a DSLR or mirrorless camera on live view and photograph just after the Sun first appears, when it’s still dimmed by Earth’s atmosphere.
Bonus: Near the horizon, expect wild optical effects — flattened or distorted Sun, mirages, scalloped edges, or “stacked” solar images — especially over water.
Keep checking the 1DegreeOutside mobile app hourly forecast Friday evening for the latest forecast updates — we’ll be watching closely!
