Blaze Star: A Rare Celestial Event

The Blaze Star, officially known as T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), is a rare celestial event that will soon occur.

1. This upcoming explosion of a star will be visible to the naked eye for the first time since 1946.
2. This event showcases the dynamic nature of the universe and the complex processes governing stellar evolution.

The Blaze Star is a rare star that's about to explode. This explosion will be so bright that we'll be able to see it from Earth without telescopes! The last time this happened was in 1946. The Blaze Star is actually 2 stars: a small white dwarf and a bigger red giant. The white dwarf steals gas from the red giant, which builds up and eventually causes a huge explosion. This explosion won't destroy the stars, though. They'll just reset and start the process all over again. Scientists think we'll be able to see this explosion sometime before September 2024.

About Blaze Star:

1. Stellar Components: The Blaze Star is a recurrent nova, a rare type of star that undergoes periodic explosive increases in brightness. It is a binary star system composed of a white dwarf and a red giant.

2. Stellar Evolution: The white dwarf draws material from the red giant, leading to the build-up of pressure and temperature. This results in a thermonuclear explosion when the white dwarf reaches the Chandrasekhar limit, a critical mass beyond which it collapses under its gravity.

3. Upcoming Explosion: The upcoming stellar explosion is expected to be visible to the naked eye and shine as brightly as Polaris, the North Star, for about a week. NASA predicts this event to occur sometime between now and September 2024.

4. Past Eruptions: Notable eruptions of T CrB were recorded in 1946, 1866, 1787, and 1217, highlighting its recurrence.

5. Frequency and Impact: Novae like T CrB occur once every few decades to a century and differ from supernovae in scale, frequency, and consequences. Unlike supernovae, novae do not destroy the star system but allow it to reset and repeat the cycle.

Chandrasekhar Limit

1. The Chandrasekhar limit is a critical mass of approximately 1.4 times the mass of the Sun.
2. When a white dwarf reaches the Chandrasekhar limit, it collapses under its gravity, transforming into a neutron star or black hole.
3. Critical mass refers to the Chandrasekhar limit. This is the maximum mass that a white dwarf star can have before it becomes unstable and collapses under its own gravity.

Must Check: Best IAS Coaching In Delhi