(C) BoingBoing
This story was originally published by BoingBoing and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Blaze Star" stands up astronomers again, mysterious third body may be the culprit [1]
['Gail Sherman']
Date: 2025-03-31
T Coronae Borealis, also known as T CrB or the 'Blaze Star,' is a star system in the constellation Corona Borealis. The system consists of a white dwarf and a red giant in a binary configuration. Material from the red giant accumulates on the white dwarf until it reaches a critical mass that triggers a thermonuclear explosion on its surface.
The explosions have taken place roughly every 80 years. The last one occurred in 1946, and the next one will take place… at some point. Initial predictions called for the star to go nova between April and September last year, but the red giant stubbornly held itself together.
Last week, a paper from the American Astronomical Society proposed several new potential dates for the nova and a possible explanation for the irregularity. The paper predicted that the explosion would occur on March 27, 2025, November 10, 2025, June 25, 2026, or February 8, 2026, which sounds weirdly specific and vague at the same time. However, the paper theorizes that there may be a previously undetected white dwarf star in the system, which would change the event's timing.
The system remained quiet on the 27th, leaving three more potential dates. When it finally happens, the nova will produce a new star visible to the naked eye with a brightness similar to that of the North Star over just a few hours. After a few days, the brightness will wane for another 80 years.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://boingboing.net/2025/03/31/blaze-star-stands-up-astronomers-again-mysterious-third-body-may-be-the-culprit.html
Published and (C) by BoingBoing
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/boingboing/
