This summer, there's a celestial spectacle in store, as NASA predicts a rare stellar explosion visible to the naked eye. The event is expected to take place sometime between now and September. CBS News reported. The event, known as T Coronae Borealis or “Blaze Star,” is located 3,000 light-years away, featuring a white dwarf — a compact remnant of a dead star roughly the size of Earth. Despite its small size, the starburst has a mass comparable to that of our own sun, according to NASA.
This includes an ancient red giant planet that is slowly losing hydrogen due to the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbour, NASA reported.
When enough hydrogen from the red giant star accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf star, it triggers a massive thermonuclear explosion, hurling the accumulated material into space in a dazzling flash. This phenomenon, known as a nova, is distinct from a supernova, which destroys dying stars rather than leaving them intact like a nova. Supernovas are also very bright, sometimes billions of times brighter than a nova.
Remarkably, Blaze Star undergoes this recurring event every 80 years on average and can repeat for hundreds of thousands of years. This phenomenon is particularly significant given its relative proximity to Earth.
“There are some recurring novae with very short cycles, but in general, we don't see a repeating eruption in a human lifetime, and rarely does one occur so close to our system,” Dr. Hounsell said.
The exact date of this celestial display is still unknown, but NASA estimates it will occur sometime this month. The event is expected to be visible to the naked eye for about a week, offering a memorable glimpse of our galaxy's cosmic fireworks.
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