T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is a “recurrent nova,” a binary system that consists of a white dwarf star and a red giant star.
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Astronomers around the world are eagerly anticipating a once-in-a-generation celestial event: the explosive outburst of the “Blaze Star,” officially known as T Coronae Borealis (T CrB). Scientists predict that around June 25, 2026, this usually invisible star system will brighten dramatically, becoming visible to the naked eye for the first time in 80 years.
I first reported on this now (meaning “new star”) in May and June of 2024, when scientists predicted that T CrB — last seen in 1866 and again in 1946 — would explode a couple of years earlier than expected. That didn’t happen. However, according to a paper published in Research Notes Of The American Astronomical Society by Jean Schneider of the Paris Observatory, June 25, 2026, the statistically most likely time for T CrB to explode this year is June 25, 2026. That’s in 150 days and, crucially, when the host constellation — Corona Borealis — is high in the night sky.
What Is The ‘Blaze Star’?
T Coronae Borealis is a binary star system located approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth, in the small northern constellation Corona Borealis, or the “Northern Crown.” The system consists of a red giant and a white dwarf orbiting one another. As the red giant expels gas, the white dwarf pulls in this material until enough accumulates on its surface to trigger a thermonuclear explosion.
T CrB: Brightness And Visibility
This explosion increases the system’s brightness by about 1,000 times. Normally sitting at magnitude +10 (invisible without a telescope), T CrB will probably jump to magnitude +2 in brightness, about the same as Polaris, the North Star. While impressive to astronomers and stargazers alike, it won’t outshine the brightest stars in the sky. Unlike a supernova, which can shine brightly for months, a nova like T CrB is a fast-paced phenomenon. After being visible for a few nights or weeks, it will dim back to its usual obscurity, visible only through mid-sized telescopes.
How To Find The Blaze Star
T CrB lies in the constellation Corona Borealis, which can be found between the constellations Boötes and Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and summer night sky. To locate it, follow the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle to bright star Arcturus, then look toward Vega, the famous star in the Summer Triangle. About halfway between those two bright stars, a small, crescent-shaped cluster marks Corona Borealis.
Will T CrB go nova in 2026? Let’s hope so — and let’s hope it happens during spring, summer or early fall before Corona Borealis sinks from view.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.