Novae are stars which, in making some obscure internal adjustment, flare up suddenly from sub-visibility, shine brilliantly for days, weeks or months, subside at last into their former faintness. Conspicuous as any stars in the sky at the peak of their display, they are spectacular but not rare, for nearly 40 have been observed since 1900. But the universe has superlatives. Once in a while a super-nova emerges grandiosely on the cosmic stage.
Last May Mt. Wilson Observatory's Walter Baade and Caltech's Fritz Zwicky called...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
