EXTRAGALACTIC NOVAE

Overview of Current Extragalactic Nova Research at SDSU

I am involved in a long-term, multifaceted program to study novae in nearby galaxies. The program involves both the determination of nova rates in nearby galaxies, as well as follow-up observations of novae in local group galaxies with the Hobbey-Eberly Telescope (optical spectroscopy), and with the Spitzer Space Telescope (IR photometry and spectroscopy).

Currently, I am conducting nova surveys in M31, M32, M94, M101, NGC 205, NGC 2403, and NCG 2903 in collaboration with Karl Misselt (University of Arizona) using the Steward 2.3 m reflector. In addition, in collaboration with Alex Filippenko (U.C. Berkeley) I have recently begun to analyze archival data on the bulge of M31 and on M32 and NGC 205 from the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) project.

HET and Spitzer follow-up observations are being conducted by Shafter at SDSU, in collaboration with Misselt, and Mike Bode and Matt Darnley at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. Our latest HET spectra can be viewed here.

Recurrent Novae in M31

I am also involved in a project to place a lower limit on the fraction of novae in M31 that are recurrent.

See the new recurrent nova in M31: M31N 1923-12c

M31 Recurrent Nova Poster from the Wild Stars in the Old West II meeting in Tucson, AZ, March 2009

Extragalactic Nova Review:

Extragalactic Novae - in Classical Novae 2nd edition, ed. M. Bode and A. Evans.

Recent Invited Talks:

The Stellar Populations of Extragalactic Novae - presented at the 2007 KITP Accretion & Explosion conference.
A Brief Review of Extragalactic Novae - presented at the 2006 KITP Transient Universe conference.
Measuring Galactic and Extragalactic Nova Rates - presented at the 2005 JINA workshop on Classical Novae and Type Ia Supernovae.

Extragalactic Nova Links:

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