Shocking discovery explains powerful novae | MSUToday | Michigan State University
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2017/shocking-discovery-explains-powerful-novae/
In a typical year, there are around 50 novae, nuclear explosions on the surface of white dwarf stars, in our galaxy.
Some of these explosions are so bright and powerful, they exceed the scale of scientific explanation.
Employing two powerful telescopes, astronomers at Michigan State University have proven a theory that explains these
super-luminous novae and other astronomical explosions. The results, published in the current issue of Nature Astronomy,
indicate that powerful shockwaves amplify the explosions beyond any traditional scale for nuclear explosions.
“Astronomers have long thought the energy from novae was dominated by the white dwarf, controlling how much light and
energy are emitted,” said Laura Chomiuk, MSU astronomer and study co-author. “What we discovered, however, was a completely
different source of energy – shockwaves that can dominate the entire explosion.”
As the explosion begins, it ejects a cooler, slower wave of gaseous material, relatively speaking. Behind it, though, is a hot,
fast wave speeding right behind it. The collision of the two ejections produces a shockwave, which results in a spectacular
explosion of heat and light.
