nova

Word family

• novae
  nounC1
• supernova
  nounB2
• dwarf nova
  nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three refer to stellar explosions, but they differ in scale and frequency. A 'nova' is a single eruption on a white dwarf that leaves the star intact. A 'dwarf nova' is a smaller, repeating outburst caused by changes in a gas disk rather than a nuclear explosion. A 'supernova' is a catastrophic event that destroys the star entirely in a blast billions of times brighter than a nova. A 'recurrent nova' is a nova that erupts repeatedly — the same star can flare up every few decades. For classroom use: 'The nova in Cygnus was bright enough to see with binoculars, whereas a supernova would briefly outshine all the stars in its galaxy.'

Common collocations

Etymology

Borrowed directly from Latin 'nova', the feminine form of 'novus' meaning 'new'. It is a shortened form of 'stella nova' (new star), a phrase used by astronomers in the 16th century when they observed a dim star suddenly becoming visible, as if a new star had appeared in the sky. Tycho Brahe's 1572 observation of a bright 'new star' helped popularise the term, though we now know these are not new stars at all, but existing stars undergoing surface explosions.