When Stars Go Nova, Shocks Cook the Stellar Neighborhood

When Stars Go Nova, Shocks Cook the Stellar Neighborhood
Mar 16, 2015 08:18 PM ET // by Ian O'Neill

In 1901, the star GK Persei became a surprise astronomical sensation. Out of the dark, it rapidly brightened, becoming the brightest star in the sky for several days. But it wasn’t a supernova; the stellar spectacle was a lesser explosion that nonetheless is still having a significant impact on local space.

The explosion of GK Persei was triggered by the buildup of hot plasma on the surface of a white dwarf star. The small, dense object had been siphoning the gas from a binary partner. When the plasma reached a critical mass, a powerful thermonuclear explosion ripped through the upper layers of the white dwarf.

This explosion, however, did not destroy the white dwarf and was therefore not a “supernova;” it was a “classical nova.”

The result of a classical nova is a rapidly brightening orb of hot gas and interstellar shock waves that leave the progenitor star intact — a mini-supernova of sorts. Although novae do not create the heavy elements that supernovae are known to generate, seeding the galaxy with elements like iron, calcium and oxygen, novae like GK Persei can still have dramatic effects on surrounding space.

More:
http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/when-stars-go-nova-shocks-cook-the-stellar-neighborhood-150316.htm#mkcpgn=rssnws1