Nova Watch In Summer 2026

Each day brings us closer to an anticipated recurring nova visible to the naked eye, and warm summer nights provide a great observing opportunity. Now all we need is for the darned thing to blow up. Here's how to find this "new" star before, during, and after it erupts.

Summer offers multiple ways to star hop to the target in the constellation Corona Borealis (CrB). Find and photograph the U-shaped Northern Crown beforehand so you'll have a comparison starfield when the nova--one star amid hundreds--is briefly visible. Two prominent asterisms launch your search.

A straightforward technique for northern observers is to find the Big Dipper. Follow the arc of its handle to the bright star Arcturus. From Arcturus star hop about ten degrees (the width of your fist held at arm's length) to the second-magnitude star Izar, and that far again to the second-magnitude star Alphecca, or Gemma, the prominent gem of the crown. The star T Coronae Borealis with the recurring nova, historically around 10th magnitude at quiescence, resides under the lower left bend of the crown

A second method for finding CrB taps into the Summer Triangle asterism. Rising higher each night in the east, the Summer Triangle follows CrB across the sky.

For a one-time aid, on June 23, 2026, the moon passes Spica (https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/use-the-moon-to-find-america-s-semiquincentennial-star).