NASA Interview Opportunity: Star light, star bright, check out the evening sky on your Halloween walk tonight

What better way to get into the Halloween spirit than to talk about zombie stars that cannibalize their neighbor and come back to life. Join a NASA expert on Oct. 31, 2024, to talk about eerie stars, and one in particular that is rising from the dead.

Quick Summary
Scientists around the world are eagerly waiting for the stellar explosion from two stars 3,000 light-years away.
Roughly every 80 years a star system called T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB for short, explodes, bringing one of the stars briefly back from the dead.
When T CrB goes nova, skywatchers could see a “new” star in the night sky for about a week. Find out where your viewers should look.

Interview Details:
One-on-one NASA expert interviews are available 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT on Oct. 31, 2024, for TV, Podcast, Radio, and Print
Please fill out this form to request an interview slot: https://forms.gle/6aJ9uqb5CEQnGpLr8
Requests sent via the above form will have scheduling priority. Please do not email requests.
For more information about NASA’s astrophysics missions and research check out: @NASAUniverse on X, Facebook and Instagram

Earlier this year there were strong indications that a star system 3,000 light-years from Earth was ready to “rise from the dead” and shine like a bright “new” star in the night sky. So far this event has evaded stargazers and scientists alike, but scientists know it’s just a question of when this slumbering star will rise again.

Roughly every 80 years, a star system known as T Coronae Borealis – or T CrB for short – experiences a violent explosion that ignites the surface of one of its two stars, causing it to brighten so much it may be visible from Earth with the unaided eye. The system is composed of two stars that orbit each other: a white dwarf, which is an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star, and a red giant – a star in its final death throes. White dwarfs are some of the densest objects in the universe. The white dwarf’s strong gravity siphons stellar material from its red giant partner, feeding from it like a vampire. When the accumulated layers reach a critical level, it explodes, in an event called a nova. The explosion only affects the surface layers, allowing the whole process to occur again and again.

This system interests scientists because its 80-year cycle is a relatively rare event in our stellar neighborhood, which allows them to glimpse the process in unusual detail.

Based on historical observations of the system, scientists predicted the star would go nova again sometime this year. But exact predictions can be tricky when you’re talking about something 3,000 light-years away.

Chat one-on-one with NASA experts to learn more about this exciting stellar event, what scientists are learning from it, and how your viewers might be able to see this “new” star – no fancy equipment needed!

Suggested Anchor Intro:
Tonight is Halloween, and while you’re outside taking the kids around for trick or treating, take a moment to enjoy the night sky. One day soon, scientists expect a stellar explosion some 3,000 light-years away to wake a dead star.

Here to tell us what a zombie star is and why we should keep an eye on the night sky is NASA expert xxxx.

Suggested Questions:
1. Let’s start by talking about zombie stars. It sounds pretty scary! What are zombie stars?
2. Why are we interested in T Coronae Borealis?
3. There was a lot of buzz over the summer that this star system would explode by September. Why hasn’t it happened yet?
What do scientists hope to learn by viewing this event?
4. How can our viewers see this “new” star when it does eventually go nova? Is there anything we should do to prepare?
5. What most excites you about this event?
6. How can we keep up to date on this zombie star?

Questions for longer interviews:
7. Both of the stars in this system started out as medium-sized stars like our own sun. Will our sun face the same fate?
8. The last time this nova event occurred was in 1946, and we didn’t have the technology that we do today to view it. How is NASA observing this rare cosmic event?
9.What’s the difference between a nova and a supernova?
10. Why are nova events important? What role do they play in solar system development?
11. How are scientists monitoring the star's activity, and how will we know when it’s getting close to exploding?

See the following sources:

• https://science.nasa.gov/universe/
• https://twitter.com/NASAUniverse