APOD: December 27, 1995 - Nova Cygni 1992 <link rel="icon" type="image/ico" href="./favicon.ico"> </head> <body BGCOLOR="#F4F4FF"> <CENTER> <text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#7F0F9F" alink="#FF0000"> <h1> Astronomy Picture of the Day </h1> <p> <a href="archivepix.html">Discover the cosmos!</a> Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. <p> December 27, 1995 <br> <a href="image/novaCygni_hst.gif"> <IMG SRC="image/novaCygni_hst.gif"> </a> <br> <b> Nova Cygni 1992 </b><br> <b> Credit: </b> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, <a href="http://www.esrin.esa.it/">ESA</a>, <a href="http://www.stsci.edu/">HST</a>, F. Paresce, R. Jedrzejewski (<a href="http://stsci.edu/public.html">STScI</a>) <p> </CENTER> <b> Explanation: </b> In 1992 a tremendous explosion occurred in the <a href="http://galileo.gmu.edu/constellation/CYG.html">constellation of Cygnus</a>. Dubbed Nova Cygni 1992, this event most probably occurred in an <a href="ap951226.html">accretion disk binary system</a>. Astronomers hypothesize that this system's <a href="ap950704.html">white dwarf</a> had so much gas dumped onto it's surface that conditions became ripe for <a href="http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/default.html">nuclear fusion</a>. The resulting thermonuclear detonation blasted much of the surrounding gas into an expanding shell. The <a href="ap950810.html">Hubble Space Telescope</a> photographed this expanding shell in 1994. Nova Cygni 1992 was the brightest nova in recent history - at its brightest it could be seen without a telescope. It was observed in every part of the <a href="http://www.astro.washington.edu/strobel/lightnotes/lightnotes.html" >electromagnetic spectrum</a>. <p> <CENTER> <b> Tomorrow's picture: </b><a href="ap951228.html"> NGC 6240: When Galaxies Collide </a> <p> <hr> <a href="ap951226.html"><</a> <a href="archivepix.html">Archive</a> | <a href="lib/aptree.html">Index</a> | <a href="http://apod.it/uk/">Search</a> | <a href="calendar/allyears.html">Calendar</a> | <a href="lib/glossary.html">Glossary</a> | <a href="lib/edlinks.html">Education</a> | <a href="lib/about_apod.html">About APOD</a> <a href="ap951228.html">></a> <hr> <p> <b> Authors & editors: </b> <a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html">Robert Nemiroff</a> (<a href="http://www.phy.mtu.edu/">MTU</a>) & <a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html">Jerry Bonnell</a> (<a href="http://www.usra.edu/">USRA</a>)<br> <b>NASA Technical Rep.: </b> <a href="mailto:jpn@grossc.gsfc.nasa.gov">Jay Norris</a>. <a href="lib/about_apod.html#srapply" >Specific rights apply</a>.<br> <b>A service of:</b> <a href="http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/lhea/homepg_lhea.html">LHEA</a> at <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>/ <a href="http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/GSFC_homepage.html">GSFC</a><br> <b>&:</b> <a href="http://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Tech. U.</a><br> </CENTER> </body>