NASA ImageNASA recently announced an exciting celestial event: this summer, the star T Coronae Borealis, known as the Blaze Star , will explode in a spectacular nova visible from Earth.
The Blaze Star, located about 3000 light years away, consists of a white dwarf and is occasionally prone to dramatic eruptions.
The Blaze Star's impending nova offers a rare opportunity for astronomers and stargazers to observe and study such a cosmic event.
Stars like the Blaze Star undergo a fascinating evolutionary process.
The Blaze Star's upcoming nova will illuminate the process of stellar evolution and the life cycle of stars.
NASA Image
NASA recently announced an exciting celestial event: this summer, the star T Coronae Borealis, known as the Blaze Star , will explode in a spectacular nova visible from Earth. The Blaze Star, located about 3000 light years away, consists of a white dwarf and is occasionally prone to dramatic eruptions. Typically dormant, this star experiences a thermonuclear explosion caused by accumulating hydrogen from a neighbouring red giant, resulting in a nova approximately every 80 years.
The Blaze Star's impending nova offers a rare opportunity for astronomers and stargazers to observe and study such a cosmic event. This particular nova is distinct from a supernova, which completely destroys a star. Instead, a nova is a sudden burst of energy that expels material into space while leaving the star itself intact. This explosion is triggered by a runaway nuclear reaction on the white dwarf's surface, leading to a massive release of energy and light.
Stars like the Blaze Star undergo a fascinating evolutionary process. Initially powered by hydrogen, stars similar to our Sun expand into red giants, increasing to hundreds of times their original size as they age. These giants lose heat and mass, eventually collapsing into dense white dwarfs, which have masses comparable to the Sun but are reduced to a fraction of its size. The Blaze Star's upcoming nova will illuminate the process of stellar evolution and the life cycle of stars.
For those interested in witnessing this event, astronomers suggest focusing on the Northern Crown, located west of the Hercules constellation. Observers can also draw an imaginary line from Arcturus to Vega, the two brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, to locate Hercules and the Corona Borealis.
