Nova Persei 1901: Detection of the site of its brightest light echo

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (19) References (40) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Nova Persei 1901: Detection of the Site of Its Brightest Light Echo Tweedy, R. W. Abstract The large bipolar nebula around GK Per, discovered originally by Bode et al. from IRAS data, has now been detected at H alpha. There is enhanced emission from the southwestern edge, where it is colliding with the interstellar medium. The morphology of this ridge shows striking similarity to the brightest of the light-echo features observed in 1901 and 1902. Bode et al. interpreted this nebula as an acient planetary, but there are severe problems with this interpretation: for example, the oldest known nebulae are a factor of 100 younger than the minimum age for a white dwarf in a nova. Two main explanations are considered. The first is that the nebula is composed of material accumulated from past nova events, although both its smooth morphology and the remarkably asymmetric structure of the nova shell argue against this scenario. The other is that it was produced during the quiescent mass-loss phase of the central binary, since the mass-loss rate may be substantially enhanced in this system because of the evolved nature of the secondary. A straightfoward observational test of these possibilities is suggested. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: January 1995 DOI: 10.1086/175133 Bibcode: 1995ApJ...438..917T Keywords: Cataclysmic Variables; Echoes; H Ii Regions; Interstellar Matter; Nebulae; Novae; White Dwarf Stars; Detection; Infrared Astronomy Satellite; Morphology; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Mass Ejection; Astrophysics; STARS: NOVAE; CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES; ISM: H II REGIONS; STARS: INDIVIDUAL CONSTELLATION NAME: GK PERSEI full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (9)