‘Zombie star’ poised to explode could light up the sky in 80 years

A rare astronomical phenomenon known as a “zombie star” could light up the night sky in the near future after returning from the dead. Space experts have discovered that T Coronae Borealis, also known as the “Shining Star”, could explode at any moment after decades of inactivity.

This explosion will likely cause a flash of light that could illuminate the dead binary star system for the first time in 80 years. According to NASA, the star is part of a system located about 3,000 light years away. The system includes a dead star the size of Earth, which, due to the presence of pressure and heat, could cause a thermonuclear explosion visible to the naked eye from our planet. The star received its nickname due to its ability to return to life after such an explosion.

Space Vampire

The Daily Mail report notes that the Burning Star is sucking material from a nearby red giant, pumping out hydrogen and other elements through its gravitational pull like a cosmic vampire.

The beginning is too faint to be seen without a telescope. But when the explosion occurs, it becomes as bright as the stars in familiar constellations.

Dr. Elizabeth Hayes, head of NASA’s Goddard Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, said space enthusiasts are always looking for “nova events.” “Novae events are usually so faint and distant that it is difficult to determine where the erupting energy is concentrated. This one will be very close and a lot of people will be watching,” she said.

First appeared more than 800 years ago

The first recorded sighting of Bright Star occurred more than 800 years ago in the fall of 1217, according to NASA. A man named Burchard, an abbot from Germany, documented his experience of seeing “a dim star that shone with a bright light for a while.”

The star was last seen in 1946. The behavior of T Coronae Borealis this time is “strikingly similar” to what was observed in the months leading up to the 1946 explosion, according to a NASA press release.

Once the explosion occurs, the flash is expected to be short-lived and visible to the naked eye for just under a week. But Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant scientist specializing in novae events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, thinks it will be quite a spectacle.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will produce many new astronomers, giving young people a cosmic event that they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions and collect their own data,” she said.

The Blazing Star is part of a binary system that appears in the Northern Crown. The latter is a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars visible on clear nights. NASA’s statement added that it can be identified by locating the two brightest stars in the northern hemisphere – Arcturus and Vega – and tracing a straight line from one to the other that would lead sky watchers to Hercules and Corona Borealis.

Hayes noted that the scientists hope to study “different wavelengths,” which they hope will provide “data that will help begin to uncover the structure and specific processes.” We can’t wait to get the full picture of what’s going on.”