A Phenomenon That Repeats Every 80 Years… The “Blazing Star” Will Light Up the Sky

6th March 2025

2 minutes read

A Phenomenon That Repeats Every 80 Years… The "Blazing Star" Will Light Up the Sky

Astronomers and skywatching enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating a rare celestial event: the star T Coronae Borealis, commonly known as the “Blazing Star“, is nearing a thermonuclear explosion that could briefly illuminate the sky.

This recurrent nova, located about 3,000 light-years away in the Corona Borealis constellation, was originally expected to erupt between April and September 2024. However, the fact that the explosion has not yet occurred and is now expected during the winter is good news for skywatchers.

As the Corona Borealis constellation becomes visible again after sunset, the star could suddenly brighten at any moment. It is expected to become clearly visible in March 2025, about three hours after sunset and fully observable after four hours, offering an extraordinary opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts to witness this rare event.

The Blazing Star: Where and When to See It?

The Blazing Star will appear between two of the brightest stars in the sky: Vega in the northeast and Arcturus in the east. To locate it more easily, follow these steps:

Identify the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), one of the most well-known and easily recognizable constellations. It features seven main stars forming a shape similar to a ladle or a cart, with the front section (the handle) consisting of three connected stars.
Follow the arc of the handle, which consists of the last three stars of the Big Dipper. If you extend this arc across the sky, it will lead you to Arcturus, a bright, orange-colored star in the Bootes constellation. Finding Arcturus will help guide you to the Blazing Star.

Why Is This a Rare Opportunity?

When it explodes, the Blazing Star won’t dramatically “light up the sky” as some media reports suggest. However, its brightness will increase by an astonishing factor of 1,000, making it as visible as the North Star (Polaris). Because this event will be brief, it’s best to locate the star in advance to be ready for its expected eruption.

This star is actually a binary system, where a white dwarf continuously pulls matter from its companion, a red giant. Every 78 to 80 years, enough material accumulates on the white dwarf’s surface to trigger a thermonuclear explosion, leading to a sudden and dramatic increase in brightness.

In 2023, a dimming of the star’s light led to speculation that the explosion was imminent. Although it did not happen at the time, experts now believe the eruption is very close. This will be one of the most exciting stellar phenomena of our time, but it will only last for about a week. It is therefore highly recommended to locate the star by March 2025 to ensure you don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.