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Astronomers and space enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating a rare celestial event as they monitor the night sky for an explosive stellar phenomenon that occurred three millennia ago.

The anticipated event involves a nova designated T Coronae Borealis, commonly known as the “Blaze Star,” which Space.com reports will be observable with the naked eye. This cosmic spectacle originates from a binary star system situated approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth, consisting of a hot red giant star paired with a cooler white dwarf companion.

Given its predictable pattern of erupting every 78 to 80 years, with its last recorded outburst in 1946, astronomers have been anticipating this event for several months. The constellation housing the Blaze Star will become visible in April’s eastern sky, appearing roughly four hours after sunset.

ABC reports that predictions for the explosion’s visibility have varied considerably, with projected dates ranging from November 10 to as far ahead as February 8, 2027, and June 25, 2026.

“It could go up tonight, it could go up next month, any month now, there you go,” Louisiana State University professor Brad Schaefer told WBRZ-TV.

Schaefer explained that the explosion results from stellar material transfer between the stars. “They’re so close that matter from the big normal star falls onto the white dwarf, accumulates on the surface, and at some point, you’ll accumulate enough matter that you have a thermonuclear runaway reaction. It’s a hydrogen bomb,” he said.

The white dwarf’s remarkable density ensures its survival. “So even having a hydrogen bomb on the surface of it, just eats off a little bit of the outer layer. White dwarfs are incredibly sturdy,” Schaefer noted.

NASA Goddard’s Astroparticle Physics Laboratory chief Elizabeth Hays suggests that social media will likely provide the first alerts of the event. “Citizen scientists and space enthusiasts are always looking for those strong, bright signals that identify nova events and other phenomena,” Hays said. “Using social media and email, they’ll send out instant alerts, and the flag goes up. We’re counting on that global community interaction again with T CrB.”

Rebekah Hounsell, a nova events specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, emphasizes the event’s significance. “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.”

“It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists,” she added.

Hounsell further emphasized the event’s rarity: “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. It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”

This celestial phenomenon’s documented history dates back to 1217, when it was first observed by Burchard, a monk in Ursberg, Germany.