See the birth of a new STAR: Once-in-a-lifetime 'Blaze Star' is set to ignite in the night sky 'any day now' - here's how to spot it
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By WILIAM HUNTER FOR MAILONLINE. Published: 11:50, 31 December 2024 | Updated: 12:00, 31 December 2024. . 44. View comments. If you're a fan of stargazing, make sure you keep an eye on the skies over the next few weeks. You'll soon have a rare opportunity to watch as a new star is born in the heavens.
![[Stargazers will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the birth of a new star as the 'Blaze Star' T Coronae Borealis flares into life (artist's impression)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/14/16/86123575-13530651-image-a-52_1718377520985.jpg)
The 'blaze star' T Coronae Borealis is set to flare into life any day now, going from invisible to as bright as the North Star overnight in a spectacular nova. Once the nova appears, it will be visible to the naked eye for a couple of days before disappearing for another 80 years.
![[To find the start look for the constellation of Corona Borealis which is between Hercules and Bootes in the North East]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/14/16/86123573-13530651-image-a-53_1718377528399.jpg)
Dr Rebekah Hounsell, a NASA expert on nova, said: '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.'. Dr Hounsell adds that this is 'a once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity to get front-row seats to a truly special cosmic event.
![[To find the star follow the handle of the big dipper (shown here from the Northern Hemisphere) and look for a reddish star named Arcturus. The blaze star should appear halfway between this star and another bright star to the North East called Vega]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/14/16/86125495-13530651-image-a-54_1718377537025.jpg)
Unfortunately, astronomers have been unable to pinpoint exactly when it will spring into view. However, Lord Martin Rees, the current Astronomer Royal and former president of the Royal Society and a fellow of Trinity College at Cambridge University, told The Telegraph that it could be any day now, addding that it is perhaps 'slightly overdue'.
![[T Coronae Borealis is a binary system, meaning that is actually made up of two stars locked in orbit with one another (artist's impression)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/14/16/86125701-13530651-image-m-57_1718377665329.jpg)
If you're a fan of stargazing, make sure you keep an eye on the skies over the next few weeks. You'll soon have a rare opportunity to watch as a new star is born in the heavens. Stargazers will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the birth of a new star as the 'Blaze Star' T Coronae Borealis flares into life (artist's impression).
