Luminous red nova

They are characterised by a distinct red colour, and a light curve that fades slowly with resurgent brightness in the infrared.

A small number of objects exhibiting the characteristics of luminous red novae have been observed over the last 30 years or so.

In 1994, V4332 Sagittarii, a star in the Milky Way galaxy, flared similarly, and in 2002, V838 Monocerotis followed suit and was studied quite closely.

[citation needed] The visible light lasts for weeks or months, and is distinctively red in colour, becoming dimmer and redder over time.

[citation needed] Some astronomers believe it to be premature to declare a new class of stellar explosions based on such a limited number of observations.

[7] In 2017 KIC 9832227, a binary star system, was predicted to merge and produce a red nova by early 2022.