Quick Novas

2002/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

Noba is a system formed by two stars that, born as mere stars, have been forced to live together by the force of gravity. Coexistence is difficult, moreover, because one steals matter from another without ceasing. But the thief ages faster than the victim and, to realize it, becomes a small and warm white dwarf.

Then, with the push of the last breath, he begins to steal even more the matter until it explodes. This explosion is called noba. It is very violent, but not the white dwarf is totally destructible, as over time it is able to steal the matter back from its companion and resurrect. Astronomers thanks to the ESA XMM-Newton telescope have discovered that white dwarfs form rapidly.

In 1998 an explosion occurred in the novel V2487 Oph and, according to the observation made by the Catalan researchers, have been enough 2.7 years to return to the normal situation. Novas serve to know the remoteness of galaxies, which explode at constant intensity. In addition, a series of chemical elements are generated in these explosions.