GK Persei
Encyclopedia
GK Persei was a bright nova
occurring in 1901. It reached a maximum magnitude
of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918
. Unlike Nova Aquilae 1918, after fading into obscurity at about magnitude 12 to 13 during the early 20th century, GK Persei began displaying infrequent outbursts of 2 to 3 magnitudes (about 7 to 15 times quiescent brightness). Since about 1980, these outbursts have become quite regular, typically lasting about two months and occurring about every three years. Thus, GK Persei has seemed to change from a classical nova like Nova Aquilae 1918, to more recently resemble a typical dwarf nova
-type cataclysmic variable star.
Surrounding GK Persei is the Firework nebula, a nova remnant
first detected in 1902 consisting of an expanding cloud of gas and dust bubbles moving up to 1200 km/s.
Nova Persei 1901 was discovered by Felipe Rivera Parra (1852–1920).
's short story "Beyond the Wall of Sleep
".
Nova
A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner...
occurring in 1901. It reached a maximum magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918
V603 Aquilae
V603 Aquilae was a bright nova occurring in Aquila in 1918.It reached a magnitude of −1.4, and was the brightest nova of modern times.-References:* -External links:* * *...
. Unlike Nova Aquilae 1918, after fading into obscurity at about magnitude 12 to 13 during the early 20th century, GK Persei began displaying infrequent outbursts of 2 to 3 magnitudes (about 7 to 15 times quiescent brightness). Since about 1980, these outbursts have become quite regular, typically lasting about two months and occurring about every three years. Thus, GK Persei has seemed to change from a classical nova like Nova Aquilae 1918, to more recently resemble a typical dwarf nova
Dwarf nova
A U Geminorum-type variable star, or dwarf nova is a type of cataclysmic variable starhttp://www.sai.msu.su/groups/cluster/gcvs/gcvs/iii/vartype.txt consisting of a close binary star system in which one of the components is a white dwarf, which accretes matter from its companion...
-type cataclysmic variable star.
Surrounding GK Persei is the Firework nebula, a nova remnant
Nova remnant
A nova remnant is made up of the material either left behind by the gigantic explosion of a star in a nova, or from the bubbles of gas blasted away in a recurrent nova. It has an expansion velocity of around 1000 km/s, and has a lifetime of a few centuries. Considering their short lifetimes, nova...
first detected in 1902 consisting of an expanding cloud of gas and dust bubbles moving up to 1200 km/s.
Nova Persei 1901 was discovered by Felipe Rivera Parra (1852–1920).
Popular culture
This nova figures in the plot of H. P. LovecraftH. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's short story "Beyond the Wall of Sleep
Beyond the Wall of Sleep (short story)
"Beyond the Wall of Sleep" is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft written in 1919 and first published in the amateur publication Pine Cones in October 1919.-Inspiration:...
".
External links
- http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/N/Nova_Persei_1901.html
- http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/users/mukai/iphome/systems/gkper.html
- Variable Star Of The Month - Nov 2000: GK Persei from the AAVSO
- APOD: GK Per: Nova of 1901, 2011 November 5
- GK Persei - gif
