NASA warns of rare explosion that will rival stars

A "star" set to explode for the first time since 1946 has astrologers and NASA excited. The "nova event," caused by two stars—a red giant and a white dwarf—orbiting and violently interacting, will be visible to the naked eye. happening every 80 years or so, it's a "once-in-a-lifetime event."

“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." – Rebekah Hounsell, NASA Assistant Research Scientist

The explosion, or "Blaze Star", is located in the Northern Crown constellation, 3,000 lightyears away. It's caused by a build-up of hydrogen from the red giant, pulled by the dwarf, creating pressure and heat until it explodes, a thermonuclear blast.

“Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated. This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it [...] We can’t wait to get the full picture.” – Dr. Elizabeth Hays, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

The event is expected to occur within months, possibly by September 2024, as the stars behave similarly to the 1946 event. NASA says it will [fuel fascination](<https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/ Hewitt>2024) for astronomy and science in the next generation.