Did the star die?
Stargazers, look up: NASA predicts a much-anticipated “once-in-a-lifetime” stellar explosion, or nova, will be visible to the naked eye this summer. According to a recent press release.
“We’re very excited to have a front-row seat,” said Dr. Rebecca Hounsell, a research assistant at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The celestial phenomenon, called T Coronae, or “Burning Star,” is located 3,000 light-years away and is made up of a white dwarf, the “Earth-sized” remnant of a dead star. Meanwhile, the starburst has a mass roughly equal to that of the Sun.
Also in the mix, NASA explained, is “an ancient red giant star that is slowly being stripped of its hydrogen by the relentless gravity of its hungry neighbor.”
When enough hydrogen accumulates on the surface of a white dwarf from a red giant, it triggers a massive thermonuclear explosion that blasts the accumulated material into space in a blinding flash. This intergalactic phenomenon should not be confused with a supernova, a similar cosmic combustion that destroys dying stars, which do not leave them intact like a nova. Often billions of times more luminous than a nova.
In the case of Blazestar, it appears the phenomenon recurs on average every 80 years and could repeat for hundreds of thousands of years.
The phenomenon is especially significant because of its relative proximity to Earth: “There are some novae that repeat on very short cycles, but we don’t typically see many repeating outbursts in a human lifetime, and they rarely occur so close to Earth’s solar system,” Hounsell said.
Unfortunately, the exact date of the interstellar fireworks is still unknown, but the Death Star will reportedly be visible sometime this month, with NASA estimating that the “brief” phenomenon will be visible to the naked eye for around a week.
Luckily, amateur astronomers can maximize their chances of catching a glimpse of the fleeting light show by following a few tips.
First, they should look toward the Northern Corona, a parabolic constellation located west of Hercules. Fox News report.
So if you draw a straight line from Arcturus and Vega, the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll arrive at Hercules and Corona Borealis, where the blaze of glory is most visible. It’s as if a new star has appeared in the sky.
Unfortunately, “recurrent novae are unpredictable,” said NASA astrophysicist Koji Mukai, adding that just when scientists think they have pinpointed the pattern, they can “completely deviate.”
“We’ll see how T CrB (the scientific name for ‘Blazestar’) behaves,” he added.
Either way, Hounsell believes this pioneering event will “inspire the next generation of scientists.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create many new astronomers and give young people the opportunity to observe cosmic events for themselves, ask their own questions and collect their own data,” she declared.