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From: freeman@spar.UUCP (Jay Freeman)
Newsgroups: net.astro
Subject: Re: Novas -- cause?
Message-ID: <584@spar.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 9-Oct-85 14:23:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: spar.584
Posted: Wed Oct  9 14:23:44 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Oct-85 17:43:36 EDT
References: <1950@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: freeman@max.UUCP (Jay Freeman)
Distribution: net
Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA
Lines: 15

[]

In article <1950@brl-tgr.ARPA> wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) writes:

>What is the current astronomical thought regarding the cause(s) of a
>star going nova? (NOT supernova, just nova.)

One thought:  Suppose you have a binary in which one component is much more
compact than a main-sequence star -- a white dwarf would do.  Suppose that
(via any of several mechanisms) "ordinary" stellar material -- mostly
hydrogen -- accretes onto the compact component.  As the layer of hydrogen
on its surface gets thicker and thicker, the bottom gets hotter and hotter,
until -- BOOM -- thermonuclear fusion occurs and a lot of the hydrogen
burns quite suddenly.  (Details buried in physics.)
-- 
Jay Reynolds Freeman (Schlumberger Palo Alto Research)(canonical disclaimer)