Astronomers studying the fastest and most dramatic nova ever recorded continue to find more puzzles than answers.
Novas are sudden, bright flares of light in a two-star system created when a white dwarf, the core of a dying star that has run out of fuel, steals material away from its companion star, causing the white dwarf to temporarily brighten. A nova known as V1674 Hercules found in a bizarre binary star system — made up of a white dwarf and a shredded companion in the Hercules constellation — has been the object of much interest since it first erupted two years ago on June 12, 2021. Astronomers were baffled by its light and energy, which rang like a bell, as well as its mysterious and intense winds that pumped stellar material into surrounding space.
