Nova: meaning, definitions and examples

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nova

 

[ หˆnoสŠ.vษ™ ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

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:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น nova

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคจเคต

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช neu

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ baru

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ะฝะพะฒะฐ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ nowa

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ๆ–ฐใ—ใ„

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท nouvelle

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ nueva

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท yeni

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์ƒˆ๋กœ์šด

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุฌุฏูŠุฏ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ novรก

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ novรก

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๆ–ฐ็š„

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ nova

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ nรฝ

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ะถะฐาฃะฐ

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒแƒฎแƒแƒšแƒ˜

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ yeni

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ 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.