Nova
From Nordan Symposia
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Origin
New Latin, feminine of Latin novus new
Definition
- 1: a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity in a few months or years
Description
A nova (plural novae) is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner. Novae are not to be confused with supernovae or luminous red novae.[1]
