Extragalactic novae :a historical perspective /

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"Version: 20190901"--Title page verso.Includes bibliographical references.part I. Foundations. 1. The early history of the transient sky -- 1.1. The nebulae -- 1.2. Novae in nebulae!2. Novae and the nature of spiral nebulae -- 2.1. Proper motions and spiral nebulae -- 2.2. Novae and nebulae -- 2.3. The great debate -- 2.4. The birth of extragalactic astronomy -- 2.5. Hubble's survey: the Mount Wilson Nova Collection -- 2.6. Novae and supernovae -- 2.7. The maximum-magnitude rate-of-decline relation3. Early photographic surveys -- 3.1. Zwicky's pioneering supernova search -- 3.2. Arp's M31 nova survey -- 3.3. Rosino's survey at Asiago -- 3.4. Sharov and Alksnis wide-field survey -- 3.5. The Capaccioli et al. study4. A physical model for novae -- 4.1. The cataclysmic variable stars -- 4.2. Thermonuclear runaway models -- 4.3. Spectroscopic classes of novaepart II. The modern era. 5. Nova rates and populations in the Milky Way -- 5.1. Two nova populations? -- 5.2. The galactic nova rate6. Modern nova surveys of M31 -- 6.1. Hgas nova surveys of M31 -- 6.2. The role of amateur astronomers -- 6.3. Microlensing surveys -- 6.4. The automated surveys -- 6.5. Spectroscopic surveys of local group novae -- 6.6. X-ray and infrared surveys of novae in M317. Extragalactic nova rates and populations -- 7.1. Measuring extragalactic nova rates -- 7.2. Nova rates in the local group -- 7.3. Beyond the local group -- 7.4. Novae in globular clusters -- 7.5. Nova rates across the Hubble sequence8. Outstanding questions and future prospects -- 8.1. The luminosity function of novae -- 8.2. The MMRD relation revisited -- 8.3. The nature of the faint and fast nova population -- 8.4. Recurrent nova populations -- 8.5. Outstanding questions concerning nova populations -- 8.6. Final thoughts.Extragalactic Novae: A historical perspective takes the reader on a journey chronicling the study of a class of eruptive variable stars known as "Novae Stella", Latin for "New Stars". These mysterious transient objects, now referred to simply as novae, have been recognized since antiquity, suddenly appearing in the night sky before slowly fading back into obscurity. The book begins with a brief introduction to the early observations, including an overview of the role that novae played in the birth of extragalactic astronomy, and concludes with a discussion of how nova observations over the past century have contributed to our knowledge of close binary star populations in nearby galaxies. Along the way, the history of our understanding of the nova phenomena, in the Milky Way and beyond, is unveiled. In particular, the author describes how the enigmatic nova eruptions were finally realized to be the result of thermonuclear runaways on the surfaces of accreting white dwarf stars, how a controversial correlation between a nova's peak luminosity and its rate of decline (the MMRD relation) has been used in extragalactic distance determinations, and how recent observations have bolstered the case that novae may form a significant channel for the production of Type Ia supernovae. These topics, and more, are recounted by an observer who has spent the past 35 years studying these fascinating objects.Students/researchers in the field of novae, plus amateur astronomers and historians.Also available in print.Mode of access: World Wide Web.System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB reader, or Kindle reader.Allen W. Shafter is Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at San Diego State University, and has been studying extragalactic novae for more than 35 years. During his career, Shafter has published more than 100 refereed papers, mostly on Cataclysmic Variable stars generally, and novae in particular. In addition to his faculty responsibilities, Shafter currently serves as a Scientific Editor for the Stars and Stellar Physics corridor of the AAS journals.Title from PDF title page (viewed on October 7, 2019).

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: .,

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1 online resource (various pagings) :illustrations (some color).

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9780750312967

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523.8/446

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Subject(s)

SCIENCE / Astronomy.
Galaxies & stars.
Stars, New.

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Allen W. Shafter.

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