Explosive Blaze Star could finally be on brink of eruption once-in-a-lifetime event will be visible from Earth

Get ready to be starstruck.The universe is on the brink of an explosive celestial event — so big that Earthlings will be able to see it from 3,000 lightyears away.Better known as “Blaze Star,” T Coronae Borealis — from the Corona Borealis constellation south of the Big Dipper — has astronomy experts on the edge of their seats.

The star was first predicted to go boom last summer, but has yet to reach its explosive finish.When it does finally let go, it will rival the brightness of our own north star, Polaris, and be plainly visible for about a week or more in the sky.Although there still isn’t an exact timeframe, think of it like a ticking time bomb, Villanova professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Science Edward Sion told Forbes.The “blaze,” scientifically called T CrB, is actually made of two stars, a small hot white dwarf and a cool red giant, according to the outlet.The red giant sends out cool matter that gets pulled into the white dwarf’s heated surface, which will accumulate until it explodes, causing the sudden brightness spike.“It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat,” Dr.

Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said earlier this year.The last time T CrB went nova was in 1946 and is on a rather consistent near 80-year cycle for outbursts.“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,” Hounsell added.“It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists.”...