Poster: Witness a Nova
For the 2026 Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) Annual Conference I presented a poster titled Witness a Nova. Images and text encourage planetariums to guide visitors in finding Corona Borealis under the dome and to invite visitors to photograph the planetarium starfield in anticipation of a rare, visible nova.
Within the constellation Corona Borealis is a now-unseen binary star that erupts every 80-or-so years, briefly becoming visible to the naked eye. It last blew up in 1946. Details are at https://www.nightwise.org/nova-in-corona-borealis.
Elements of the poster include
Under the Dome: Suggestions for planetariums to engage their audience;
Through the Seasons: How to star hop to Corona Borealis from the Big Dipper;
Clear Enough Nights: 500-plus images of CrB in anticipation of the nova;
Recurring Nova: A description of how a recurring nova occurs;
Pumpkinova: A seasonal way to promote CrB with a pumpkin; and
More: QR code for details.
In late November and early December when the constellation is low toward the western horizon after sunset and challenging to find. In early winter Corona Borealis transitions to a morning sky sight.
During the conference CrB appeared above the Blue Bridge in Grand Rapids, MI. Despite the unavoidable lens flares from the bright lights, the seven stars were captured in the cell phone camera's images.
