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ABSTRACT While nova eruptions produce some of the most common and dramatic dust formation episodes among astrophysical transients, the demographics of dust-forming novae remain poorly understood. Here, we present a statistical study of dust formation in 40 novae with high-quality optical/IR light curves, quantitatively distinguishing dust-forming from non-dust-forming novae while exploring the properties of the dust events. We find that 50–70 per cent of novae produce dust, significantly higher than previous estimates. Dust-forming novae can be separated from those that do not show dust formation by using the largest redward ($V-K$) colour change from peak visible brightness; ($V-J$) or ($V-H$) offer useful but less sensitive constraints. This makes optical+IR photometry a powerful tool to quantify dust formation in novae. We find that novae detected in GeV $$\gamma$$-rays by Fermi-LAT appear to form dust more often than novae not detected by Fermi, implying a possible connection between $$\gamma$$-ray-producing shocks and dust production. We also find that novae that evolve very quickly ($$t_2 < 10$$ d) are much less likely to form dust, in agreement with previous findings. We confirm a correlation between $$t_2$$ and the time of the onset of dust formation (which occurs $$\sim$$1 week–3 months after maximum light), but conclude that it is primarily an observational artefact driven by dust formation determining when a nova drops 2 mag below peak. The significant fraction of novae that form dust make them ideal laboratories in our Galactic backyard to tackle the puzzle of dust formation around explosive transients.
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This content will become publicly available on March 11, 2026
Revisiting the Classics: On the Optical Colours of Novae as Standard Crayons
Abstract We present a systematic study of the BVRI colours of novae over the course of their eruptions. Where possible, interstellar reddening was measured using the equivalent widths of Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs). Some novae lack spectra with sufficient resolution and signal-to-noise ratios; therefore, we supplement as necessary with 3D and 2D dust maps. Utilising only novae with DIB- or 3D-map-based E(B − V), we find an average intrinsic (B − V)0 colour of novae at V-band light curve peak of 0.20 with a standard deviation of 0.31, based on 25 novae. When the light curve has declined by 2 magnitudes (t2), we find an average (B − V)0 = −0.03 with a standard deviation of 0.19. These average colours are consistent with previous findings, although the spreads are larger than previously found due to more accurate reddening estimates. We also examined the intrinsic (R − I)0 and (V − R)0 colours across our sample. These colours behave similarly to (B − V)0, except that the (V − R)0 colour gets redder after peak, likely due to the contributions of emission line flux. We searched for correlations between nova colours and t2, peak V-band absolute magnitude, and GeV γ-ray luminosity, but find no statistically significant correlations. Nova colours can therefore be used as standard “crayons” to estimate interstellar reddening from photometry alone, with 0.2–0.3 mag uncertainty. We present a novel Bayesian strategy for estimating distances to Galactic novae based on these E(B − V) measurements, independent of assumptions about luminosity, built using 3D dust maps and a stellar mass model of the Milky Way.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2205631
- PAR ID:
- 10618587
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- ISSN:
- 0035-8711
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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