nova
noun
a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter and then gradually fades to its original intensity.
novae
-
pluralof nova.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During its first 15 years, Fermi-LAT detected GeV emission from more than 20 novae, showing that these eruptions can produce gamma rays in our galaxy and pointing to their promise as multi-messenger sources.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025
NASA's Fermi telescope has been central to uncovering that connection, turning novae into real-world laboratories for studying shock physics and particle acceleration.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025
What if these novae were actually the remnants of technological civilizations like ours, which had in fact discovered the dreaded "detonator" referenced by Rutherford?
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023
"I was looking for a much more common type of outburst called novae."
From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023
The super-bright novae are called, logically enough, supernovae.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
