Watch this space

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Astronomers glimpse exploded star: "At the moment, sitting just below the critical mass, the novae on RS Oph blow themselves out, achieving brief episodes of brilliance. But soon, RS Oph could pass the tipping point - the nuclear flame will detonate from deep inside the star and blow it apart. How soon is not clear.

'It could be tomorrow, but most likely it'll be 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 years from now,' says Jeno Sokoloski.

Whenever it happens, it will be, she says, a spectacular event, outshining the planets, so that its final glory will be visible against the day time sky."