Nova
Videos
A nova is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white dwarfs in close b
Artist's conception of a white dwarf, right, accreting hydrogen from the Roche lobe of its larger companion star
Nova Eridani 2009 (apparent magnitude ~8.4)
GK Persei: Nova of 1901
Nova in Andromeda Galaxy
Type Ia supernova
Videos
A Type Ia supernova is a supernova that occurs in binary systems in which one of the stars is a white dwarf. The other star can be anything from a giant star to an even smaller white dwarf.
Nova
…trigger runaway fusion that destroys the white dwarf rather than merely expelling its atmosphere. In this case, the event is usually classified as a Type Ia supernova. Novae most often occur in the sky along the path of the Milky Way, especially near the observed Galactic Center in Sagittarius; however, they can…
G299 Type Ia supernova remnant.
An accretion disc forms around a compact body (such as a white dwarf) stripping gas from a companion giant star. NASA image
Supercomputer simulation of the explosion phase of the deflagration-to-detonation model of supernova formation.
Supernova remnant N103B taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.