A dim star in the summer night sky is now on the cusp of exploding and could become visible to the naked eye any day now, according to a leading expert. The so-called “Blaze Star” is predicted to become 1,000 times brighter than normal and shine for several days.
‘Blaze Star’ Explained
The star, also known as T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB for short, is a variable star about 3,000 years distant in Corona Borealis (“Northern Crown”), a crescent-shaped constellation of seven stars directly above observers in the northern hemisphere in summer.
In the wake of a massive thermonuclear explosion every 80 years, the star brightens every 80 years, around the average length of a human lifetime, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event for astronomers and stargazers.
‘See The Hellfire’
“Our best estimate for the time of eruption is close to now,” said Brad Schaefer, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Louisiana State University and an expert on T CrB, to SpaceWeather.com. “T CrB will be the brightest nova for generations. “It’s a chance for everyone in the world to step outside, look up, and see the hellfire.”
Although astronomers are excited at the prospect of T CrB exploding and becoming visible to the naked eye for a short period, visually, it won’t be on par with an eclipse, aurora or a naked-eye comet. It’s expected to become as bright as Polaris, the “North Star,” the 48th brightest star in the night sky.
How To Find The ‘Blaze Star’
Corona Borealis is between the Boötes and Hercules constellations. Follow the curve of the handle of the Big Dipper—now high in the northern sky after dark—to a bright star called Arcturus. Now find another bright star, Vega, above the east but lower in the sky than Arcturus. Corona Borealis is between the two. T CrB is just outside the crescent of seven stars in Corona Borealis.
Below is a finder’s chart, followed by a chart showing where the “Blaze Star” is located. Get to know the night sky around here, and you’ll be suitably stunned when the nova appears.
Why The ‘Blaze Star’ Explodes
T CrB is what astronomers call a recurrent nova (new star) that explodes right on cue every 80 years. It’s actually two stars—a red giant and a smaller, cooler white dwarf—that orbit each other. The red giant emits a lot of hydrogen, which ends up on the surface of the white dwarf. It heats up to a critical temperature every 80 years, triggering a massive explosion, but one that doesn’t destroy the white dwarf.
Astronomers know it’s on the cusp because a year before it becomes visible to the naked eye, T CrB noticeably dips in brightness. The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) announced a pre-eruption dip in March 2023, making this summer the predicted timeframe for the explosion. Astronomers collected data on what happens just before it explodes in 1946 and 1866.
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Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
