Exploding star could be seen by Aussies at any moment

An exploding star — 3000 light-years away — is set to brighten Australian skies for the first time in 80 years. Here’s when it’s set to happen and how to see it.

An exploding star, 3000 light-years away, is set to brighten Australian skies for the first time in 80 years.

Known as the blaze star, T coronae Borealis will undergo something called a nova, where it periodically bursts in brightness as the star partially explodes.

Swinburne astrophysicist Dr Sara Webb said the event would be a once in a lifetime chance to witness the astral phenomenon in southern skies.

“We can predict when this will happen based on the star’s brightness over time, and anytime over the next few months to two years, it could happen,” she said.

“It’s in the constellation Corona Borealis and if you keep an eye on that patch of sky you might notice when the ‘new star’ appears.”

This chart shows the constellation of Corona Borealis. Diagram: Martin George

Dr Webb said applications like Stellarium could be used to help navigate where to look for the blaze star.

“But don’t worry, as soon as it explodes us astronomers will be excited to tell you when and where to find this event in the sky,” she said.

According to the CSIRO’s Cosmos, the nova was last seen in 1946, and its next outburst is expected at any time between now and September.

Astronomers expect the star to be visible to the naked eye for a few days.

An exploding star. Picture: Supplied

CSIRO astronomer Dr Andrew Zic said novae were typically caused by thermonuclear explosions on the surface of white dwarf stars.

“They’re in an orbit around a giant star, typically a red giant, and they’re sucking in material onto their surface from that companion — they’re basically eating up this other star,” Dr Zic said.

“Eventually, what happens is enough material is gathered on the surface of this white dwarf that it can’t hold it anymore, and so it blows up.” he said.

“We’ve been able to study a few of these sorts of systems before. But this one is exciting, because it’s one of the closest recurrent novae that we know of, and it will be visible to the naked eye.”

An exploding star discovered by amateur astronomer Robert Evans in 2004 by using telescope from his home. Picture: Supplied

HOW TO SEE THE BLAZE STAR

You’ll be able to find the nova by looking for the constellation Corona Borealis.

In July and August, those of us in the Southern Hemisphere can see the constellation during evenings, low in the northern sky.

There’s a wide range of stargazing apps that you can use to help find it.

NASA predicts the star will be as bright as a magnitude 2 star – in between the brightest and the dimmest members of the Southern Cross constellation.

After a few days of gleaming, the star will be harder to see, but still visible with a telescope or binoculars.

(Source: CSIRO Cosmos)