Novae and luminous transients

Robert Williams

Space Telescope Science Institute, USA

Although the basics of the nova outburst are believed to be understood there remain many specifics that are not. In recent years new luminous transients have been discovered that do not fit into either the normal nova or supernova classification, including some that are observed only in the infrared. I will review recent developments and suggest a model that explains the simultaneous presence of both dust and hard X-ray emission in novae.

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