[vsnet-chat 778] Re: the nova color index

[Taichi Kato <tkato>]

Berto Monard wrote:

> The hot accretion disc in a nova event is supposed to shine at blue-UV-X
> wavelengths.
> The CCD measures from Seiichiro Kiyota show the nova 'wears' red... Any
> comments?
> 
> Perhaps some strong emission lines coincide with the V and R wavelength
> fields?

   There are at least two main reasons for the "red" color of the nova.
First, novae usually suffer from interstellar reddening (they are usually
distant, lying near the Galactic plabe), from which optical astonomers
sometimes calculate the distance.  Second, the H-alpha emission closely
coincides with the R-passband.

Regards,
Taichi Kato

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