Now a whole new generation of stargazers are scanning the skies again because scientists believe T Cor Bor ignites about every 80 years or so.

On a crystal clear night, in the Dark Skies Reserve of Bannau Brycheiniog, also known as the Brecon Beacons, astronomers are setting up their telescopes.

“T Cor Bor is dim at the minute – it’s magnitude 10, well below what you can see with the naked eye,” explains Dr Jenifer Millard from Fifth Star Labs.

To find the area of sky where it should appear, she advises to first locate the plough and follow its handle to Arcturus. To the west of this star is the curved constellation of Corona Borealis, made up of seven stars, and where T Cor Bor will at some point light up.

“It is only going to be visible to the naked eye for a couple of days,” she says.

“Of course, if you’ve got a small pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you’ll be able to see it for a little bit longer because you’ve got that magnifying tool. But I do think that it is the short stint in the sky that makes it really special.”