Stellar collisions are extremely rare events. Astronomers calculate that one occurs roughly every ten thousand years in the Milky Way, and only since 2008 have the first confirmations emerged. However, a team of astronomers at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Calvin College made a prediction, anticipating the formation of a red nova as the product of a collision in the binary system KIC 9832227, and it will be visible within five years, with a margin of error of seven months.
Galactic collisions are fairly common. In fact, we can find several examples, and everything suggests that the Milky Way and Andromeda will collide in about 4 billion years. The collision of black holes received special attention after the confirmation of the existence of gravitational waves in February of last year. But what about stellar collisions? To begin with, they are much less frequent. After investigating several candidates over the past three decades, experts concluded that in 2008, the binary system V1309 Scorpii produced a red nova after the collision (or 'union,' as some prefer) of its main components. Predicting a stellar collision is complicated... but at Calvin College they did exactly that.
A Star System on the Brink
The researchers behind the new study indicate that the stellar system KIC 9832227 has properties suggesting an imminent stellar collision, forming a red nova. KIC 9832227 is technically what is identified as a contact binary, and if the prediction is correct, the event has already happened, because it is about 1,800 light-years from Earth and its light has not reached us yet. Astronomers have watched KIC 9832227 closely since 2013, and using information from V1309 Scorpii as a reference, they are convinced it will share the same fate.
A Sky Show in 2022
The best part is that we will be able to see this without special instruments (depending on the region), and we will not have to wait too long. The red nova will appear in our sky during the year 2022, with a margin of error of seven months. Where? Near the constellation Cygnus. Point your telescopes.
