A rare astronomical phenomenon known as a ‘zombie star’ could light up the night sky in the near future after rising from the dead. Space experts revealed that T Coronae Borealis, also known as the ‘Blaze Star’, could explode at any moment after decades of inactivity.
This blast is likely to cause an eruption of light which is capable of illuminating a dead binary star system for the first time in 80 years. According to NASA, the star is part of a system that is around 3,000 light-years away. The system comprises an Earth-sized dead star which, due to the presence of pressure and heat, could cause a thermonuclear explosion visible to the naked eye from our planet. The star earned its nickname owing to its ability to come back to life after such an explosion.
A cosmic vampire
A report from by Daily Mail noted the Blaze Star draws material from the nearby red giant, siphoning hydrogen and other elements through its gravitational pull, much like a cosmic vampire.
The start is too faint to see without a telescope. But when the explosion erupts, it becomes as brilliant as the stars in familiar constellations.
Dr Elizabeth Hays, chief of NASA’s Goddard Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, stated that space enthusiasts are always on the lookout for ‘nova events’. “Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to identify where the erupting energy is concentrated. This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it,” she said.
First appeared over 800 years ago
The Blaze Star’s first recorded sighting took place more than 800 years ago in the autumn of 1217, as per NASA. A man called Burchard, an abbot based in Germany, documented his experience of seeing “a faint star that for a time shone with great light.”
The star was last seen in 1946. As per a press release by NASA, T Coronae Borealis‘ behavior this time is ‘strikingly similar’ to what was observed during the months leading up to the 1946 explosion.
Once the blast occurs, the outburst is expected to be brief and visible to the naked eye for a little less than a week. However, Dr Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, believes it would be quite a sight to see.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data,” she said.
The Blaze Star is part of a binary system which appears in the Northern Crown. The latter is a horse-shoe-shaped curve of stars that are visible on clear nights. The NASA statement added that it can be identified by locating the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere—Arcturus and Vega—and tracking a straight line from one to the other, which will lead sky-watchers to Hercules and the Corona Borealis.
Hays observed that scientists are hoping to study “the various wavelengths” which would hopefully provide “data to start unlocking the structure and specific processes involved. We can’t wait to get the full picture of what’s going on.”