Blaze Star About To Go Nova

To spot the star, first locate the Big Dipper. Then, follow the direction its handle points (before it curves down) until you find a group of stars in a tight “U” shape. This is Corona Borealis, the constellation the Blaze star is located in. The nova will be just outside the “U” on the bottom left.

Once the star, nicknamed the “Blaze star,” goes nova, you have just days to hope for clear weather and try to spot it. It will be at its brightest the first night after it explodes.

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SW-User

Cool, but how can they be sure it will go nova in the next few days??

Northwest · M

@SW-User "About" is a relative term This could happen tonight, or it could be the end of the year. You can sign up for notifications.

SW-User

@Northwest Really? They're that certain? Light from some stars can take thousands of years to reach us.

If they are, then that's impressive.

Northwest · M

@SW-User

Really? They're that certain? Light from some stars can take thousands of years to reach us.

If they are, then that's impressive.

About 3,000 years or so, as this star is in the Northern Crow.

What we will see would have happened 3,000 years ago. Astronomers have been observing this binary system for a long time, and yes, they are observing events that happened 3,000 ago.

This is a binary system. The white dwarf has been stripping the hydrogen away from its res giant neighbor. When it reaches a certain pressure and heat, the white dwarf will explode. Astronomers have been watching this build up, and think it's getting to critical mass. Keep in mind that what they're watching happened 3,000 years ago.

SW-User

@Northwest Understood, but I still find it incredible that astronomers think we will see the nova within the next year. How can they be so accurate?

Northwest · M

@SW-User you mean certain? Because they know under what conditions “critical mass and density” happy.

SW-User

@Northwest I'm not having a go lol. I'm just surprised they can look at the light from a star and predict that it will go nova any time within a year.

Northwest · M

@SW-User They're not just looking at light. They're picking up how much hydrogen was lost from one planet, and how much of it got transferred to another planet.

It's kind of like looking at a bomb. You're filling it with explosive materials, and you're applying pressure. When it reaches a particular saturation, and pressure, you know with the next ounce or material, or pressure, the whole thing can go up.