An extremely bright star system that has puzzled astronomers for years may soon light up the sky with a nuclear flare equivalent to thousands of suns, according to new research. When it does, the phenomenon will likely be visible from Earth with the naked eye — both night and day.
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The star system, known as VSagitae, consists of a white dwarf — the dense remnant of a dead star similar to the Sun — and a more massive companion, about 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. The white dwarf is devouring material from its companion “at a rate never before observed,” the team said in statement .
The two stars are in such close orbits that they orbit each other in just 12.3 hours, moving closer and closer with each rotation. Now, researchers have confirmed that this doomed dance will eventually result in their collision and the explosion of a supernova so bright it will be visible even in daylight.
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The chaotic infall of matter and the extreme brightness of V Saggitae are indications of its imminent, violent destruction, which will be preceded by an explosive “warm-up” — a nova — offering a spectacular spectacle for stargazers.
Novae occur when a white dwarf star that is absorbing matter accumulates too much and then violently ejects it from its surface. These stellar explosions, while not destroying the white dwarf, are extremely spectacular, as a typical nova can shine hundreds of thousands of times brighter than the Sun. And because the white dwarf survives, these events can repeat themselves for thousands or even millions of years.
However, this magnificent spectacle will only be a prelude to the real event. When the two stars spiral closer and collide, they will cause a “supernova so bright that it will be visible from Earth even in the daytime.”
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According to a 2020 study from the University of Louisiana, this spectacular finale could happen in 2067, based on the gradual reduction in the stars' orbital period.
