Discovery of a nova super-remnant surrounding the recurrent nova LMCN 1971-08a in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Healy-Kalesh M, Sasaki M, Points SD, Filipović MD, Smeaton ZJ, Darnley MJ, Long KS, Saeedi S, Zangrandi F (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Book Volume: 702

Article Number: L9

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202556670

Abstract

A nova super-remnant (NSR) is a greatly-extended structure grown by repeated nova eruptions sweeping the surrounding material away from a nova into a dense outer shell and are predicted to form around all novae. To date, four NSRs are known, with three located in the Galaxy and one residing in M31. Here we present the discovery of the first NSR in the Large Magellanic Cloud and only the second extragalactic nova shell identified, hosted by the recurrent nova LMCN 1971-08a. The structure is coincident with the nova, has a circular morphology, and is visible in narrowband Hα and [S II] filters but is very faint in [O III] , as expected. H I data also potentially reveal the existence of a coincident structure. Further, with a diameter of ∼200 pc, this NSR is the largest example yet found, with models indicating an ∼4130 M⊙ shell expanding at ∼20 km s⁻¹ into the surrounding medium and an age of ∼2.4 Myr. The existence of the NSR also suggests that LMCN 1971-08a may have a much shorter recurrence period than currently presumed.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

University of Western Sydney Australia (AU) Liverpool John Moores University (JMU) United Kingdom (GB) Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) United States (USA) (US) Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) Chile (CL)

How to cite

APA:

Healy-Kalesh, M., Sasaki, M., Points, S.D., Filipović, M.D., Smeaton, Z.J., Darnley, M.J.,... Zangrandi, F. (2025). Discovery of a nova super-remnant surrounding the recurrent nova LMCN 1971-08a in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 702. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202556670

MLA:

Healy-Kalesh, Michael, et al. "Discovery of a nova super-remnant surrounding the recurrent nova LMCN 1971-08a in the Large Magellanic Cloud." Astronomy & Astrophysics 702 (2025).

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