Giant ‘blinking’ star spotted in the Milky Way by astronomers

A rare ‘blinking’ star has been discovered at the centre of the Milky Way, more than 25,000 light years from Earth. The star’s ‘blinking’ refers to its disappearance from the night’s sky before returning to its original brightness, with scientists at the University of Edinburgh saying it’s “exceptionally rare” for a star to dim over several months before getting brighter. Astronomers believe the star, which has been given the name VVV-WIT-08, could be part of a new category of ‘blinking giant’ star, which sees the star covered or eclipsed by another object “every few decades”.