Blaze Star Eruption Expected: Here’s How to Spot It
The “Blaze Star” T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is set to erupt in a spectacular explosion between now and September, becoming visible to the naked eye. Here’s how to locate it when it does.
**A New Star in the Night Sky** T Coronae Borealis, or the “Blaze Star,” located 3,000 light-years away, could soon be visible to the naked eye for the first time since 1946. Expected to brighten from magnitude +10 (invisible to the naked eye) to magnitude +2, it will be as bright as Polaris, the North Star, according to NASA. In astronomical terms, a lower magnitude indicates a brighter object; for example, the full moon has a magnitude of -12.6.
**Finding the Blaze Star** The Blaze Star is situated in the Corona Borealis constellation, also known as the “Northern Crown,” nestled between the constellations of Boötes and Hercules. To find Corona Borealis: 1. Locate the Big Dipper in the northern sky. 2. Follow the “arc to Arcturus,” a bright, reddish star above the eastern horizon. 3. Look between Arcturus and Vega, closer to Arcturus, to find the faint curl of seven stars that form Corona Borealis.
While the Blaze Star isn’t visible yet, it should become clear before summer ends.
**Understanding the Blaze Star** T Coronae Borealis is a recurrent nova, a type of binary star system comprising a cool, red giant star and a smaller, hotter white dwarf star orbiting each other. Every 80 years, the red giant transfers matter to the white dwarf, triggering an explosion. This star is unique due to its short cycle of eruptions compared to other stars.
Astronomers believe the Blaze Star is on the verge of another explosion, following its historical pattern of eruptions in 1866 and 1946. The star brightened ten years before each previous explosion and dimmed just before the blast. This same pattern has been observed recently, with the star brightening since 2015 and dimming again in March 2023, indicating an imminent explosion.
