Related papers: On the Galactic Nova Progenitor Population
We inform on the progress of our on-going project to identify and classify old classical novae, using deep UBVR photometry and subsequent spectroscopy for a proper candidate confirmation, and time-resolved observations in order to find the…
All types of supernovae (SNe), except Type Ia, have been observed to interact with their immediate circumstellar medium (CSM). This interaction can reveal their progenitor's histories, and constrain our ideas about the evolution of massive…
I collect virtually all photometry of the ten known galactic recurrent novae (RNe) and their 37 known eruptions. This consists of my modern measures of nearly all archival plates (providing the only data for half of 37 known eruptions), my…
Over the last 40 years, multi-frequency observations, coupled with advances in theoretical modelling, have led to a much fuller understanding of the nova phenomenon. Here I give a brief review of the current state of knowledge of Classical…
The reported positions of 964 suspected nova eruptions in M31 recorded through the end of calendar year 2013 have been compared in order to identify recurrent nova candidates. To pass the initial screen and qualify as a recurrent nova…
The observational properties of recurrent novae indicate that they can be divided into two subclasses:systems with a dwarf and a red giant secondary, respectively. The second type -- which includes RS Oph -- bears many similarities to…
Supernova rates (hypernova, type II, type Ib/c and type Ia) in a particular galaxy depend on the metallicity (i.e. on the galaxy age), on the physics of star formation and on the binary population. In order to study the time evolution of…
Despite its fundamental importance, a reliable estimate of the Galactic nova rate has remained elusive. Here, the overall Galactic nova rate is estimated by extrapolating the observed rate for novae reaching $m\leq2$ to include the entire…
A nova is a cataclysmic event on the surface of a white dwarf in a binary system that increases the overall brightness by several orders of magnitude. Although binary systems with a white dwarf are expected to be overabundant in globular…
Novae are thermonuclear eruptions on accreting white dwarfs in interacting binaries. Although most of the accreted envelope is expelled, the mechanism -- impulsive ejection, multiple outflows or prolonged winds, or a common-envelope…
Classical novae are fascinating stellar events, at the crossroads of astrophysics, nuclear physics and cosmochemistry. In this review, we outline the history of nova modeling with special emphasis on recent advances and perspectives in…
Novae have been reported as transients for more than two thousand years. Their bright optical outbursts are the result of explosive nuclear burning of gas accreted from a binary companion onto a white dwarf. Novae containing a white dwarf…
In a recent paper Li et al. (2000) reported that 36 percent of 45 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered since 1997 in two volume-limited supernova searches were spectroscopically peculiar, and they suggested that because this peculiarity…
Although Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are a major tool in cosmology and play a key role in the chemical evolution of galaxies, the nature of their progenitor systems (apart from the fact that they must contain at least one white dwarf, that…
The study of the stars that explode as supernovae used to be a forensic study, working backwards from the remnants of the star. This changed in 1987 when the first progenitor star was identified in pre-explosion images. Currently there are…
With the purpose to obtain new estimates of the rate of supernovae we joined the logs of five SN searches, namely the Asiago, Crimea, Cal{\'a}n-Tololo and OCA photographic surveys and the visual search by Evans (the sample counts 110 SNe).…
Type Ia supernovae, with their remarkably homogeneous light curves and spectra, have been used as standardizable candles to measure the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Yet, their progenitors remain elusive. Common explanations…
V4444 Sgr (Nova Sgr 1999) has been recently suggested to be a possible recurrent nova based on the detection of the preexisting dust, which may have been formed in a previous outburst. We examined this possibility using the available…
In this review I summarize the observational attempts done so far to unveil the nature of the progenitor system/s of Type Ia Supernovae. In particular, I focus on the most recent developments that followed the alleged detection of…
Nova V2491 Cyg is one of just two detected pre-outburst in X-rays. The light curve of this nova exhibited a rare "re-brightening" which has been attributed by some as the system being a polar, whilst others claim that a magnetic WD is…