Some Results of the Search for Super-Novae

Abstract

Some time ago Baade and I discussed the existence of a new class of novae which surpass the common novae in luminosity by a factor of one thousand. [1, 2] We proposed to call these new stars super-novae, a designation which is now in general use. It should be emphasized, however, that super-novae in some respects differ fundamentally from ordinary novae. In oour original communications [1, 2] we made a first tentative attempt to estimate how often super-novae appear in an average nebula. From a considerable, though very heterogeneous set of records from various sources extending over the past fifty years we concluded that the frequency of occurrence of super-novae in an average nebula is of the order of one per several centuries. We also suggested that the study of super-novae promises to throw new light on the problem of the generation of energy in stars and perhaps on the origin of cosmic rays. In conjunction with considerations concerning the tremendous liberation of energy in super-novae we suggested the formation of collapsed neutron stars [1, 2] as the most powerful source of energy.

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