[dragnet2]

I'm not impressed. It will look no different than an ordinary star. Like the article says, this is a nova, not a supernova.

The star itself will look quite different. Since the 1940s the star has not even been visible to the unaided eye. For the first time in a lifetime the star will be visible for millions to view. And will only remain visible for maybe a couple days and once again it will go dark and not be visible again until another generation comes along.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Currently it's about magnitude +10, which puts it just on the edge of visibility with standard 10x50 binos. It's supposed to reach about +2 or +3 when it blows, or around the same as Coronae Borealis' brightest star (give or take half a magnitude). So here it is now:


And here is with the "new" star, probably exaggerated in comparative brightness:


I have Stellarium mobile, which makes it pretty easy to find at night (when it's up), but the light pollution is getting pretty bad in my city these days.