A 'Zombie Star' Could Arrive Just in Time for Halloween: 'Incredibly Exciting'
Mar. 15, 2025Photo:NASA
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(725x425:727x427):format(webp)/Zombie-star-tout-103124-11b0d934c12c4cd385c7a91c45cba5fc.jpg)
NASA
A rare occurrence known as a “zombie star” could be coming to the night sky just in time for Halloween!A remnant from T Coronae Borealis, also known as the “blaze star,” may light up the night sky for the first time in 80 years on Thursday, Oct. 31,according to NASA.The 3,000-light-years-away star system includes an Earth-sized white dwarf (or a dead star) and due to the buildup of pressure and heat, it could cause a thermonuclear explosion, or nova event, visible on Earth with the naked eye, the space agency said.“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,” said Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.NASA first put the astronomic event on space-lovers’ radarin June and anticipation has been building the last three months — but the nova is unpredictable. The last time it was seen on Earth was in 1946.Hounsell said that the zombie star is not to be confused with a supernova, which is a “titanic explosion that destroys some dying stars." A nova event happens when the dwarf star remains intact and its accumulated material is hurled into space in a blinding flash.“There are a few recurrent novae with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” Hounsell said. “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”
A rare occurrence known as a “zombie star” could be coming to the night sky just in time for Halloween!
A remnant from T Coronae Borealis, also known as the “blaze star,” may light up the night sky for the first time in 80 years on Thursday, Oct. 31,according to NASA.
The 3,000-light-years-away star system includes an Earth-sized white dwarf (or a dead star) and due to the buildup of pressure and heat, it could cause a thermonuclear explosion, or nova event, visible on Earth with the naked eye, the space agency said.
“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,” said Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
NASA first put the astronomic event on space-lovers’ radarin June and anticipation has been building the last three months — but the nova is unpredictable. The last time it was seen on Earth was in 1946.
Hounsell said that the zombie star is not to be confused with a supernova, which is a “titanic explosion that destroys some dying stars.” A nova event happens when the dwarf star remains intact and its accumulated material is hurled into space in a blinding flash.
“There are a few recurrent novae with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” Hounsell said. “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”
source: people.com
Other Posts
