A nova is the name for a cataclysmic explosion which is nuclear in nature that has occurred due to the accumulation of the element hydrogen on the surface of what is called as a white dwarf star.
A star nearby to the white dwarf star may overflow its Roche lobe. Due to this, the white dwarf accretes gas from the other star's outer layer of atmosphere at a steady pace. The other star may be a Main Sequence sort of star, or a star that is in its ageing process and is getting expanded into a Red Giant.
The accumulated gas basically includes hydrogen and helium and other ordinary universal matter. These gases are compressed and heated to extremely high temperatures. The huge quantity of energy released by this process blows the leftover gases away from the white dwarf's surface and generates a very bright outburst of light.
A star nearby to the white dwarf star may overflow its Roche lobe. Due to this, the white dwarf accretes gas from the other star's outer layer of atmosphere at a steady pace. The other star may be a Main Sequence sort of star, or a star that is in its ageing process and is getting expanded into a Red Giant.
The accumulated gas basically includes hydrogen and helium and other ordinary universal matter. These gases are compressed and heated to extremely high temperatures. The huge quantity of energy released by this process blows the leftover gases away from the white dwarf's surface and generates a very bright outburst of light.
