'Once-in-a-lifetime event': Explosion in space to look like new star, NASA says
A "star" that hasn't been seen since 1946 will appear once again in the night sky, and astrologers are determined to get a glimpse of the once-in-a-lifetime event.
The "star" is an explosion, also known as a nova event, that happens around once every 80 years. It will be so bright that it can be seen with the naked eye, said NASA.
“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," said Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist at NASA who specializes in nova events, said in a statement.
Two stars, a red giant star and a white dwarf, orbit each other. The giant will move behind the dwarf and cause an explosion of material which will bring a "new star" to the night sky, said NASA.
"Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated,” Dr. Elizabeth Hays, chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. “This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it, studying the various wavelengths and hopefully giving us data to start unlocking the structure and specific processes involved. We can’t wait to get the full picture of what’s going on.”
Professional and backyard astronomers are fixated on the point in the sky where the explosion can be seen, said NASA.
"It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists,” said Hounsell.
When is the Nova Event happening?
The stars are behaving similarly to the way they did in the time leading up to the last explosion, so it will happen within the next few months.
"If the pattern continues, some researchers say, the nova event could occur by September 2024," states NASA.
Where are the stars?
They're 3,000 lightyears away from Earth and is located in the Northern Crown constellation, according to NASA.
Astronomers dubbed the stars' system the “Blaze Star,” but it's also known as T Coronae Borealis or T CrB.
The dwarf and giant make up a binary system, which is when "two stars orbit around a common center of mass," states the Australia Telescope National Facility. Basically, gravity binds the stars together.
Why is this happening?
The giant and dwarf stars have a bit of an explosive relationship with each other.
Because they are so close, they interact violently with one another and that lack of space triggers a thermonuclear explosion, creating the Nova.
The "ancient red giant slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbor," states NASA.
Hydrogen from the red giant is drawn to the surface of the white dwarf because of the pull. It builds up , causing a pressure and heat and then eventually, boom, it explodes. The explosion is so big it get's rid of all that extra material.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz