Thermonuclear runaways, the life cycles of white dwarfs, and cosmic standard candles are all part of the explosive phenomena of novae. I with a guest break down the physics behind these dramatic stellar events, separating nova from the catastrophic, final collapse of a supernova.

Dr. David Zurek, an astrophysicist from the American Museum of Natural History and former analyst at the Space Telescope Science Institute, shares his firsthand experiences working with early Hubble Space Telescope data, including imaging the famous recurrent nova T Pyxidis!

Topics Covered

Nova vs. Supernova: Surface explosions vs. total gravitational collapse.

Binary Systems: How a white dwarf siphons matter through its Roche lobe.

T Coron ...