New Delhi: Stargazers are waiting eagerly to witness a rare star, which can appear in the sky anytime now.
Believed to be a once-in-a lifetime event, the star named Blaze Star or T Coronae Borealis will be reappearing in the night sky after 80 long years.
Last seen in 1946, this star had erupted from the Northern Crown constellation. Astronomers had expected it to be visible in September this year. Now, they believe it can appear any moment.
Located 3,000 light years from Earth, a long-dead star will reignite in a spectacular explosion and will shine as brightly as the North Star.
Astronomers can locate this rare star by locating Arcturus and Vega, the two brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere, and drawing a straight line that points towards the Northern Crown constellation.
Dr Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specialising in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will inspire many new astronomers, giving people a chance to observe a cosmic event firsthand, ask their own questions, and collect their own data.”
According to Dr Elizabeth Hays, chief of Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA Goddard, nova events are generally so faint and distant it’s difficult to pinpoint where the erupting energy is concentrated.
“This one will be much closer, with many people observing it, which should help us gather valuable data about its structure and processes,” she opined.
A man named Burchard from Ursberg had first recorded this rare star in 1217 in Germany and described it as “a faint star that for a time shone with great light.”