Exploding star expected to be visible to the naked eye within months

Credit: Stocktrek Images / Getty Images
July 8, 2024

Ellen Phiddian
Cosmos science journalist


In the next few months, an explosion on a star 3,000 light-years away will grow so bright it should be visible to the naked eye.

The star system T Coronae Borealis, also named the Blaze Star, produces an explosion roughly every 80 years that yields a bright nova viewable from Earth.

The nova was last seen in 1946, and its next outburst is expected at any time between now and September.

Astronomers expect the star to be visible to the naked eye but only for a few days.

Dr Andrew Zic, a radio astronomer at CSIRO, says that novae are typically caused by thermonuclear explosions on the surface of white dwarf stars.

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/blaze-star-t-coronae-borealis/