‘Zombie star’ about to explode could light up the sky after 80 years

A rare astronomical phenomenon known as a ‘zombie star’ could light up the night sky in the near future after it rises from the dead. Space experts have revealed that T Coronae Borealis, also known as the ‘Blaze Star’, could explode at any time after decades of inactivity.

This explosion is likely to produce a burst of light that could illuminate a dead binary star system for the first time in 80 years. According to NASAthe star is part of a system located about 3,000 light-years away. The system consists of a dead star the size of Earth that, due to the presence of pressure and heat, could cause a thermonuclear explosion visible from our planet with the naked eye. The star got its nickname because of its ability to come back to life after such an explosion.

A cosmic vampire

A report from Daily Mail noted the Blaze Star draws material from the nearby red giant and siphons hydrogen and other elements through its gravity, much like a cosmic vampire.

The beginning is too faint to see without a telescope. But when the explosion erupts, it becomes as bright as the stars in famous constellations.

Dr. Elizabeth Hays, head of NASA’s Goddard Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, stated that space enthusiasts are always on the lookout for “nova events.” “Normally, nova events are so faint and distant that it is difficult to identify where the eruptive energy is concentrated. This one will be very close, with a lot of eyes on it,” she said.

First appeared over 800 years ago

The first recorded sighting of the Blaze Star occurred more than 800 years ago, in the fall of 1217. NASA. A man named Burchard, an abbot based in Germany, documented his experience of seeing “a faint star shining for a time with great light.”

The star was last seen in 1946. According to a NASA press release: T Coronae Borealis‘The behavior this time is ‘strikingly similar’ to what was observed in the months leading up to the 1946 explosion.

Once the explosion occurs, the eruption is expected to be brief and visible to the naked eye for just under a week. Dr. However, Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant researcher specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, believes it would be a sight to behold.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create many new astronomers and provide young people with a cosmic event that they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions and collect their own data,” she said.

The Blaze Star is part of a binary system found in the Northern Crown. The latter is a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars visible on clear nights. The NASA statement added that it can be identified by locating the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere – Arcturus and Vega – and following a straight line from one to the other, which will take sky watchers to Hercules and the Corona Borealis to lead.

Hays noted that scientists hope to study “the different wavelengths,” which would hopefully “provide data to unlock the structure and the specific processes involved.” We can’t wait to get a full picture of what’s going on.”