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The American space agency NASA says a huge star explosion is expected to light up the night sky later this year.
美国国家航空航天局称，预计今年晚些时候，一颗巨大的恒星爆炸将照亮夜空。
NASA describes it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” event. The event is known as a nova.
NASA 将其描述为 "一生一次 "的事件。 这一事件被称为新星爆发。
It happens when changes to a star cause it to release a large amount of energy and it becomes very bright.
当恒星发生变化导致其释放出大量能量并且变得非常明亮时，就会发生这种情况。
This activity is only temporary and such stars usually return to their normal state after experiencing a nova event.
这种活动只是暂时的，在经历了一次新星事件后，这样的恒星通常会恢复到正常状态。
Astronomers have predicted the nova is likely to happen by September 2024.
天文学家预测，这次的新星爆炸很可能会发生在在2024年9月之前。
The expected event will involve a two-star system – called a binary system – in the constellation Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown.
预计发生的事件将涉及北冕座（又称北冠座）中的一个双星系统。
This constellation is about 3,000 light years from Earth.
这个星座距离地球约3,000光年。
A light year is the distance light travels in a year – about 9.5 trillion kilometers. The binary system is called T Coronae Borealis.
一光年是光在一年中传播的距离——大约9.5万亿公里。这个双星系统被称为T北冕座。
It contains two gravitationally linked stars – a white dwarf and a red giant.
它包含两颗引力相互作用的恒星——一颗白矮星和一颗红巨星。
NASA describes a white dwarf as the remains of an Earth-sized star that died.
美国国家航空航天局将白矮星描述为一颗地球大小的恒星死亡后的残骸。
A white dwarf is formed when the star burns off all its central nuclear fuel and loses its outer layers.
当恒星燃烧掉其中心的所有核燃料并失去外层时，就会形成白矮星。
A red giant forms when a star releases large amounts of hydrogen at its center.
当恒星在其中心释放出大量的氢时，就会形成一颗红巨星。
This loss of energy causes the star to begin to collapse.
这种能量损失导致恒星开始坍缩。
But the process also increases the red giant’s temperature and pressure, leading to new releases of energy that can affect nearby objects.
但这个过程也会增加红巨星的温度和压力，导致新的能量释放，从而影响附近的天体。
Astronomers say a red giant’s release of hydrogen in a binary system causes a heavy buildup of pressure and heat on the white dwarf.
天文学家表示，在双星系统中，红巨星释放出的氢会在白矮星上造成巨大的压力和热量积累。
Over time, such buildup can cause a “thermonuclear explosion” large enough to blast away the material the white dwarf had collected. This process differs from a supernova.
随着时间的推移，这种积累可能导致一场“热核爆炸”，其规模足以将白矮星收集的物质炸飞。这一过程不同于超新星爆发。
NASA describes a supernova as an “extremely bright, super-powerful explosion of a star.”
美国国家航空航天局将超新星爆炸描述为“恒星的一种极其明亮、超级强大的爆炸”。
The main difference is that a supernova is the final destruction that happens at the end of a particular star’s life.
主要的区别在于超新星是特定恒星生命结束时发生的最终毁灭。
In a nova, the white dwarf remains active after the event.
在新星中，白矮星在事件发生后仍然活跃。
Scientists believe novas appear to repeat, on average, about every 80 years.
科学家们认为，新星爆炸平均大约每80年就会重复出现一次。
NASA notes that nova events can keep happening “for tens of hundreds or thousands of years.
美国国家航空航天局指出，新星事件可以持续发生“数百年或数千年”。
That is why the space agency called the upcoming nova a “once-in-a-lifetime event.”
这就是为什么航天局称即将到来的新星爆炸是“一生一次”的事件。
Scientists say the nova explosion will be so bright, people should be able to see the resulting light without telescopes or other special equipment.
科学家表示，此次新星爆发将非常明亮，人们无需望远镜或其他特殊设备就能看到由此产生的光。
The bright light can make it appear as though a new star has formed in the sky.
明亮的光线可以使它看起来好像天空中形成了一颗新星。
It will be at least the third time humans have witnessed a nova, the French news agency AFP reports.
据法新社报道，这将至少是人类第三次目睹新星的出现。
The event was first discovered by Irish astronomer John Birmingham in 1866 and then reappeared in 1946.
1866年爱尔兰天文学家约翰·伯明翰首次发现新星爆炸，然后在1946年再次出现。
Sumner Starrfield is a professor of astrophysics at Arizona State University.
萨姆纳·斯塔菲尔德是亚利桑那州立大学的天体物理学教授。
He told AFP he was very excited to see the nova event.
他告诉法新社，他非常期待看到新星事件。
He has studied the T Coronae Borealis star system at different times since the 1960s.
他自20世纪60年代以来，在不同的时间研究了T北冕座恒星系统。
Starrfield is currently working on a scientific paper to predict what astronomers will learn about the repeating nova, whenever it shows up.
斯塔菲尔德目前正在撰写一篇科学论文，以预测新星出现在什么时候，天文学家在重复新星出现时会了解到什么。
"It could be today... but I hope it's not," he joked.
“可能是今天……但我希望不是”，他开玩笑说。
Rebekah Hounsell is a research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
丽贝卡·豪塞尔是一位研究科学家，专门研究美国宇航局位于马里兰州戈达德太空飞行中心的新星事件。
She said that interest in the event may “create a lot of ... astronomers out there.”
她说，对该事件的兴趣可能会“创造出很多……天文学家”。
She hopes this can give young people “a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data.”
她希望这能给年轻人“一个他们可以自己观察的宇宙事件，提出自己的问题，并收集自己的数据。”
She added that the nova event might even be helpful to “fuel the next generation of scientists. ”
她补充说，这次新星事件甚至可能有助于“为下一代科学家提供动力”。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。
