Nova: meaning, definitions and examples
๐
nova
[ หnoส.vษ ]
astronomy term
A nova is a star that experiences a sudden increase in brightness, typically by a factor of thousands to millions of times. This phenomenon occurs when a white dwarf in a binary system accretes matter from its companion star, leading to a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the white dwarf. Novae can be visible for a few weeks to several months before fading back to their original brightness. They are different from supernovae, which involve a more catastrophic stellar explosion.
Synonyms
bright star, stellar explosion
Examples of usage
- The nova erupted suddenly and caught the attention of astronomers.
- This nova was the brightest in the last decade.
- Novas can provide insights into the evolution of stars.
- After a nova event, the star's brightness can remain stable for some time.
Translations
Translations of the word "nova" in other languages:
๐ต๐น nova
๐ฎ๐ณ เคจเคต
๐ฉ๐ช neu
๐ฎ๐ฉ baru
๐บ๐ฆ ะฝะพะฒะฐ
๐ต๐ฑ nowa
๐ฏ๐ต ๆฐใใ
๐ซ๐ท nouvelle
๐ช๐ธ nueva
๐น๐ท yeni
๐ฐ๐ท ์๋ก์ด
๐ธ๐ฆ ุฌุฏูุฏ
๐จ๐ฟ novรก
๐ธ๐ฐ novรก
๐จ๐ณ ๆฐ็
๐ธ๐ฎ nova
๐ฎ๐ธ nรฝ
๐ฐ๐ฟ ะถะฐาฃะฐ
๐ฌ๐ช แแฎแแแ
๐ฆ๐ฟ yeni
๐ฒ๐ฝ nueva
Etymology
The term 'nova' comes from the Latin word 'novus', meaning 'new'. It was first used in the 16th century to describe new stars that appeared suddenly in the night sky, seemingly out of nowhere. The observation of such stellar events has been recorded throughout history, but they were not well understood until the advent of modern astronomy. The distinction between nova and supernova was made clearer in the 20th century as astronomers developed a better understanding of stellar evolution and the mechanisms behind these explosive events. The first modern nova to be documented was Nova Cygni 1975, and since then many other novae have been observed, providing valuable data for the study of the universe.