nova

¹

[ noh-vuh ]

noun

, Astronomy.

, plural no·vas, no·vae [noh, -vee].

1. a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter and then gradually fades to its original intensity.

Nova

²

[ noh-vuh ]

noun

1. Also called Nova Salmon. a Pacific salmon cured in the style of Nova Scotia salmon.
2. nova, (loosely) any smoked salmon.

nova

/ ˈnəʊvə /

noun

1. See supernova
   a variable star that undergoes a cataclysmic eruption, observed as a sudden large increase in brightness with a subsequent decline over months or years; it is a close binary system with one component a white dwarf Compare supernova

nova

/ nō′və /

, Plural novae nō′vē

1. A white dwarf star that suddenly and temporarily becomes extremely bright as a result of the explosion at its surface of material accreted from an expanding companion star. The material, mostly hydrogen and helium, is attracted by the white dwarf's gravity and accumulates under growing pressure and heat until nuclear fusion is ignited. Unlike a supernova, a nova is not blown apart by the explosion and gradually returns to its original brightness over a period of weeks to years. Because of their sudden appearance where no star had been previously visible, novae were long thought to be new stars. Since 1925, novae have been classified as variable stars.
2. Compare supernova

nova

1. In astronomy , the appearance of a new star in the sky ( nova is Latin for “new”). Novae are usually associated with the last stages in the life of a star. ( See supernova .)

Other Words From

• nova·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nova¹

First recorded in 1680–90; from New Latin: noun use of feminine of Latin novus “new”; new

Word History and Origins

Origin of nova¹

C19: New Latin nova ( stella ) new (star), from Latin novus new

Example Sentences

He’d long been interested in outer space, reading science texts and science fiction as well as watching PBS’s Nova series on WTTW, Chicago’s public television station.

From MIT Technology Review

Indeed, Spaceback and Nova are among a handful of companies doing this level of customization of display ads at scale — proof that the technology has reached a point in recent years where it can start to deliver on its potential.

From Digiday

Nova allows you to add extra touch gestures to your home screen to invoke all kinds of actions.

From Popular-Science

Bossa nova soon became a nationwide sensation, with countless performers capitalizing on the trend.

From Washington Post

Bossa nova, which means roughly “new trend,” was based on Brazil’s traditional samba music, but with a slower, more gentle rhythm and delicate, sinuous melodies.

From Washington Post

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia—It's amazing what some fresh Nova Scotia air can do.

From The Daily Beast

Today, at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador—in the steamy northeastern coast of Brazil—we saw the Dutch Reconquista.

From The Daily Beast

The couple will visit Pictou County for an event to celebrate Celtic heritage in Nova Scotia.

From The Daily Beast

He wanted to be a big nova that would eclipse everything.... That was the only thing that would satisfy Andy.

From The Daily Beast

He wanted to be a big nova that would eclipse everything. . . . That was the only thing that would satisfy Andy.

From The Daily Beast

Quid sit Nova Francia, qualis regio, qui in e populi, quique mores.

From Project Gutenberg

On that fatal day in August on which war broke out we were in Nova Scotia.

From Project Gutenberg

The citizens of Halifax, Nova Scotia, celebrated the 108th anniversary of the settlement of that place.

From Project Gutenberg

A large number of loyalists were now leaving the States and settling in Nova Scotia.

From Project Gutenberg

They call the potatoes ‘Bluenoses’ just as they call the Nova Scotia folks.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• star

More About Nova

What is a nova?

A nova is a star that temporarily becomes extremely bright and then returns to its original brightness. The plural of nova is novas or novae.

A star is an object in outer space that is basically a big bright ball of gas. The Sun is the only star in our solar system.

The Sun is a medium-sized star in the middle of its life. When a star the size of our Sun or smaller nears the end of its life, it becomes a white dwarf. A white dwarf is small (for a star) and, because of its size, not very bright. However, a white dwarf is very dense, so it has a strong gravitational pull.

In a binary solar system, there are two stars. Sometimes, a white dwarf star in a binary system will pull hydrogen gas from a bigger, neighboring star. Eventually, it may pull so much hydrogen together that it causes an explosion. This explosion causes the white dwarf to become incredibly bright and become what is called a nova.

A nova is temporary. Typically, a white dwarf only stays really bright for several days before returning to its original state. The white dwarf may again start pulling hydrogen from its neighbor and eventually again turn into a nova. Each cycle could take anywhere from a thousand to hundreds of thousands of years.

Why is nova important?

The first records of the word nova come from around 1680. It comes from the New Latin word novus, meaning “new.” In the past, we thought that a nova was a brand new star.

Now we know that novas are very old stars that are nearing the end of their lives. Why did we think they might be new stars? Because white dwarfs are both small and not very bright, we cannot see them with just our eyes from Earth. However, when it becomes a nova, the white dwarf becomes so bright that we can suddenly see it unaided in our night sky. Past stargazers believed this was a new star being born. As time passed, telescopes helped astronomers discover the existence of white dwarfs and learn what novas really are.

Why is nova important?

If a large white dwarf or a bigger star accumulates a huge amount of hydrogen, it may create a massive explosion known as a supernova. Unlike a nova, a supernova is the explosion of the star itself and can result in celestial bodies known as neutron stars or even a black hole.

What are real-life examples of nova?

Novas are of great interest to astronomers and researchers studying space.

This white dwarf star, went nova in 2010… @NASAFermi reveals new source of gamma rays. More: http://t.co/RwPBMNSTA8 pic.twitter.com/3ffDZEt3tM

— NASA Goddard Images (@NASAGoddardPix) July 31, 2014

GK Persei is a "classical nova" — an outburst produced by a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star. (A supernova signals the destruction of an entire star.) This nova briefly appeared as one of the brightest stars in the sky in 1901! https://t.co/4J9UOBZKjh pic.twitter.com/PyXOzLkFVk

— Chandra Observatory (@chandraxray) March 13, 2018

 

What other words are related to nova?

• star
• white dwarf
• hydrogen
• gravity
• nuclear fusion
• explosion
• luminosity
• supernova

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

A nova is a new star that is created when hydrogen gathers together into a big cloud of bright gas.