A new star has appeared in the constellation Lupus and continues to increase in brightness. On June 17, it reached the limit of visibility to the naked eye. However, it is mainly visible further south than 40° north latitude.
Nova in the constellation Lupus
On June 12, 2025, the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) discovered a previously unknown object with a magnitude of 8.7 in the constellation Lupus. It turned out to be a so-called nova — a phenomenon in which a very dim star suddenly increases its brightness thousands of times and becomes much more visible than before for several weeks. Sometimes it is first detected during such events.
The nova has been formally designated V462 Lupi, indicating that it is formally considered variable. And overall, this was true, because over the next few days it quickly became brighter.
There is nothing mysterious about V462 Lupi. Like other new novae, it is actually a close pair consisting of a white dwarf and a normal star. A substance flows from the second to the first, forming a shell. At a certain point, a thermonuclear reaction begins inside it. An explosion occurs, which we observe as the appearance of a new object. The star survives without any significant consequences, and soon everything can start all over again.
Object for observation
Meanwhile, on June 17, the brightness of V462 Lupi reached magnitude 6.1, which formally made it visible, although in reality such objects are only observable with the naked eye if one has very sharp vision. Which does not prevent observing it with ordinary binoculars.
However, it should be remembered that Lupus is a constellation of the southern sky. Therefore, the new star can only be comfortably observed if you are located no further north than the 40th parallel of northern latitude, which includes Ankara, Madrid, and the southernmost states of the United States. Even in southern Ukraine, it will only be visible a few degrees above the horizon, and in Kyiv, it will be virtually impossible to see.
However, it remains a very interesting phenomenon for amateur astronomers. Bursts of novae are not uncommon. However, most of them are too faint and are observed by large professional telescopes. Phenomena that are close enough for amateurs to observe do not occur often.
According to skyandtelescope.org
