HOUSTON — If we are lucky to get a break from the rain and clouds in the Houston area, you may want to look up. Right now, scientists expect a stellar explosion some 3,000 light years away to wake up a dead star. It's what we call a “zombie star.”
NASA astrophysicist Dr. Knicole Colón joined KHOU 11 Meteorologist Chita Craft Thursday morning to talk about the phenomenon.
So what are zombie stars? Colón said every star out there is born and eventually it dies. And when it dies, it leaves behind some kind of remnant. In this case, it's a zombie star known as a white dwarf. Very dense, very compact.
Colón said the really interesting thing about this zombie star is that there's a living star orbiting right next to it and that living star has outer layers of gas flowing onto the zombie star. That eventually builds up over time and results in an explosion.
And that's what we're all waiting to see.
What can viewers expect to see when eventually it does go nova? Is there anything that we should do to prepare?
Colón said that the exciting thing about this is you can actually just see the star. It will appear like a new star in the sky.
It'll be so bright after it goes nova we'll be able to see it with our naked eye. You won't need binoculars or telescopes.
However, you might want to use a star finder app just to help you find the constellation Corona Borealis. It’s kind of near the Big Dipper, and that'll help you see the new star when it does show up.
