KIC 9832227 tagged posts

Molnar’s prediction is that a binary star (two stars orbiting each other) he is monitoring will merge and explode in 2022. Credit: Calvin College

Calvin College professor Larry Molnar et al are predicting a change to the night sky that will be visible to the naked eye. “It’s a 1-in-a-million chance that you can predict an explosion,” Molnar said. “It’s never been done before.” Molnar’s prediction is that a binary star he is monitoring will merge and explode in 2022, give or take a year; at which time the star will increase its brightness 10000X, becoming one of the brighter stars in the heavens for a time. The star will be visible as part of the constellation Cygnus, and will add a star to the recognizable Northern Cross star pattern.

Molnar’s exploration into the star known as KIC 98322...