A nova 3,000 light-years from Earth is due to become visible from Earth.

T Coronae Borealis should outshine the North Star for up to a week at some point in coming months.

A few tips can help you see this event, which for many will be once-a-lifetime.

A nearby exploding star is due to offer a spectacular show that could outshine our North Star this year.

The star, which is 3,000 light-years from Earth, is expected to burst in a gigantic explosion — known as a nova — in the coming months.

NASA said in a statement that the once-a-lifetime event could be so big that it can be seen by the naked eye. It should be visible for up to a week.

It will be "fun and exciting upcoming cataclysm," Bradley Schaefer, an astrophysicist at Louisiana State University, told The New York Times.

It adds to an already-packed agenda for skygazers this year.

This includes a full solar eclipse for those in the US or Canada in April, plus the rare, huge green comet which is already starting to be visible.
A 'hydrogen bomb' in the sky safely seen from light-years away

It all comes down to a nova called T Coronae Borealis. This cosmic blast happens when a tiny white dwarf — the core of a dead star — is locked in the orbit of a giant red star.