This Halloween could bring more than just costumes and candy—it might also bring a star that will come back to life after decades of inactivity. The T Coronae Borealis, or “Blaze Star,” is a zombie star that will light up the sky for the first time in 80 years and will be visible from Earth.The Blaze Star system, about 3,000 light years away, earned its “zombie star” nickname due to its ability to repeatedly “come back to life” after each explosion, unlike a supernova that destroys its host star. The nova will be visible in the horseshoe-shaped Northern Crown constellation between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega.Amateur astronomers will play a crucial role in monitoring the event. “Citizen scientists and space enthusiasts are always looking for those strong, bright signals that identify nova events and other phenomena. Using social media and email, they’ll send out instant alerts, and the flag goes up,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hays, chief of NASA’s Goddard Astroparticle Physics Laboratory. “Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated. This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it,” Hays said. While the exact timing remains uncertain, this cosmic spectacle could light up the sky just in time for Halloween. The binary system shows patterns similar to those observed before its last outburst in the year 1946. The nova will be visible for about a week once it erupts.
This Halloween could bring more than just costumes and candy—it might also bring a star that will come back to life after decades of inactivity.
The T Coronae Borealis, or “Blaze Star,” is a zombie star that will light up the sky for the first time in 80 years and will be visible from Earth.
The Blaze Star system, about 3,000 light years away, earned its “zombie star” nickname due to its ability to repeatedly “come back to life” after each explosion, unlike a supernova that destroys its host star.
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The nova will be visible in the horseshoe-shaped Northern Crown constellation between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega.
Amateur astronomers will play a crucial role in monitoring the event.
“Citizen scientists and space enthusiasts are always looking for those strong, bright signals that identify nova events and other phenomena. Using social media and email, they’ll send out instant alerts, and the flag goes up,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hays, chief of NASA’s Goddard Astroparticle Physics Laboratory.
“Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated. This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it,” Hays said.
While the exact timing remains uncertain, this cosmic spectacle could light up the sky just in time for Halloween. The binary system shows patterns similar to those observed before its last outburst in the year 1946.
The nova will be visible for about a week once it erupts.
