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An ancient nova shell around the dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis

Nature volume 446, pages 159–162 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Cataclysmic variables (classical novae and dwarf novae) are binary star systems in which a red dwarf transfers hydrogen-rich matter, by way of an accretion disk, to its white dwarf companion1. In dwarf novae, an instability2 is believed to episodically dump much of the accretion disk onto the white dwarf. The liberation of gravitational potential energy then brightens these systems by up to 100-fold every few weeks or months2. Thermonuclear-powered eruptions thousands of times more luminous3,4 occur in classical novae5, accompanied by significant mass ejection6 and formation of clearly visible shells7,8 from the ejected material. Theory predicts that the white dwarfs in all dwarf novae must eventually accrete enough mass to undergo classical nova eruptions9. Here we report a shell, an order of magnitude more extended than those detected around many classical novae, surrounding the prototypical dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis. The derived shell mass matches that of classical novae, and is inconsistent with the mass expected from a dwarf nova wind or a planetary nebula. The shell observationally links the prototypical dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis with an ancient nova eruption and the classical nova process.

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Figure 1: GALEX satellite image of the field of the dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis on 25 January 2004.
Figure 2: Features around Z Cam.
Figure 3: All fields imaged by GALEX before July 2006, with centres within 200 arcmin of Z Cam.
Figure 4: Emission lines from the Z Cam nebulosity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Telescope time at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Lick Observatory and the Palomar Observatory is gratefully acknowledged. Kitt Peak National Observatory of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, New York 10024-5192, USA,

    Michael M. Shara, Sebastien Lépine, David Zurek & Orsola De Marco

  2. Department of Physics, Math and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Mail Code 405-47, Pasadena, California 91125, USA,

    Christopher D. Martin, Shri R. Kulkarni & Eran O. Ofek

  3. Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, California 91101, USA,

    Mark Seibert

  4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, 430 Portola Plaza, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-1547, USA,

    R. Michael Rich, Samir Salim & David Reitzel

  5. Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA,

    David Schiminovich

  6. Astronomy Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7105, USA,

    Constantine P. Deliyannis & Angela R. Sarrazine

  7. Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Wise Observatory, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv 69978, Israel,

    Noah Brosch

  8. WIYN Observatory, PO Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, USA,

    George Jacoby

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  1. Michael M. Shara
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Correspondence to Michael M. Shara.

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Shara, M., Martin, C., Seibert, M. et al. An ancient nova shell around the dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis. Nature 446, 159–162 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05576

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