People are being warned to look out for a ‘once-in-a-lifetime-event’ after a huge explosion has been discovered to be heading towards Earth.
Said to be happening ‘any day’ now, the star eruption has actually been travelling towards our planet for thousands of years.
But it’s getting closer, with scientists believing it’s going to happen before September.
And it’s said to be a pretty spectacular sight to behold.
The last time the T Coronae Borealis was visible from Earth was in 1946. (Nasa)
So how do we spot it?
Well, the star – known as the T Coronae Borealis – is 3,000 light years away from Earth and lies within the Northern Crown constellation of the galaxy.
The star system is made up of two types of stars – a white dwarf and an ancient red giant.
Because of gravity, the white dwarf will gradually rip away hydrogen from the other star.
As this happens, it causes a build up of gas which triggers a thermonuclear explosion, otherwise known as a nova explosion.
Also referred to as the Blaze star, T Coronae Borealis erupts every 80 years. It was last visible from Earth just after World War 2, in 1946.
And it’s going to be super bright, with many of us able to experience the spectacle from Earth.
“T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the ‘Blaze Star’ and known to astronomers simply as ‘T CrB’ is a binary system nestled in the Northern Crown some 3,000 light-years from Earth,” NASA explain.
“The system is comprised of a white dwarf – an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to that of our Sun – and an ancient red giant slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbor.
“The hydrogen from the red giant accretes on the surface of the white dwarf, causing a buildup of pressure and heat. Eventually, it triggers a thermonuclear explosion big enough to blast away that accreted material. For T CrB, that event appears to reoccur, on average, every 80 years.”
The star erupts every 80 years (Getty Stock Photo)
NASA explains that we can expect to see the nova for about a week before it becomes invisible to the human eye.
So what should we be looking for?
Scientists explain that the star appears in a horseshoe-shaped curve, which should be visible on clear nights.
They recommend locating the two brightest stars in the Northern hemisphere – Arcturus and Vega – before tracking a straight line between them.
This should lead viewers to the eruption.
Don’t forget it could happen at any point between now and September, so keep your eyes peeled.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
