Nova (Richard Rider) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Upon becoming a member of the an intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, he gained superpowers including enhanced strength, flight, and injury resistance. He also wears a specialized uniform with life support.

In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.

Publication history[link]

The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Len Wein in the fanzine Super Adventures in 1966. Seven years later John Romita, Sr. tweaked the design of the character's uniform.^[1] Nova debuted in Nova #1 in 1976, written by Wolfman and drawn by John Buscema. Wolfman intended the teenage character to be an homage to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Spider-Man, down to his humble working-class roots and alliterative alter-ego.^[2] The original Nova series, The Man Called Nova,^[3] lasted 25 issues from September 1976 to May 1979. Dangling plot lines were resolved in issues 206-214 of Fantastic Four (also by Wolfman) and issue 24 of Rom the Spaceknight. The character then disappeared into obscurity until returning as a member of the original New Warriors team in New Warriors (vol. 1) #1-75, Annual #1-4 (July 1990—September 1996).

Following two subsequent Nova titles, Nova vol. 2 #1-18 (Jan 94 - June 95) and Nova, The Human Rocket vol. 3 #1-7 (May - Nov 1999), Nova would return in New Warriors vol. 2 #0-10 (October 1999—July 2000) and New Warriors vol. 3 #1-6 (July 2005 - December, 2005). After a four issue miniseries titled Annihilation: Nova and a leading role in Annihilation 1-6, a fourth volume of Nova ran for 36 issues (April 2007 - April 2010).^[4][5] This series tied into Annihilation: Conquest, Secret Invasion, and War of Kings. Dangling plot threads were addressed in The Thanos Imperative 1-6 and two additional standalone comics(May 2010 - Jan 2011).

Nova appeared as a member of the Secret Avengers during its first four issues (May - Aug 2010).^[6]

Fictional character biography[link]

Richard Rider, a student at the fictional Harry S. Truman High School in Hempstead, New York, is chosen at random by the alien Rhomann Dey, last surviving Nova Centurion of the planet Xandar's elite Nova Corps, to inherit his power and succeed him in the rank of Nova Prime following the destruction of his world by the intergalactic pirate Zorr. Having been mortally wounded in the battle that tore Xandar apart, Dey succeeds in tracking Zorr to Earth but is unable to defeat him due to the extent of his injuries. Near death, Dey chooses to transfer his power to an unsuspecting human on the planet below, praying that whomever he finds will take up his cause.^[7]

Rider gains the uniform and powers of a Centurion but little instruction on how to use these new powers. Overjoyed, Rider eagerly takes up the life of a superhero, fighting costumed supervillains in New York and gradually learning how to control his new abilities. Calling himself Nova, he makes arch-enemies out of street level thugs and cosmic level threats alike, fighting villains such as Condor and Powerhouse,^[8] Diamondhead,^[9] the Corruptor,^[10] and the Sphinx.^[11] Nova also teams with Spider-Man to capture Photon, who had killed Richard Rider's uncle, Ralph Rider,^[12] before ultimately choosing to reveal his secret identity to his family.^[13]

Rider eventually discovers Dey's Nova Prime Space Ship in orbit of earth, and Doctor Sun and the Sphinx lead Rider across the stars and to the newly reconstructed planet Xandar, the same world where his great powers originated. Traveling with them as well are Powerhouse, Comet, and Crimebuster.^[14] Engaged in bitter war against the Skrulls, the Xandarians form the Champions of Xandar, pressing Rider service protecting their territories from attack.^[15] Nova and the Champions of Xandar fight alongside Rom the Space Knight to eventually defeat the Skrulls, though Xandar itself is left nearly defenseless in the aftermath. Tiring of life so far from home and hoping to rejoin his high school friends, Rider requests to be released from his duties on Xandar and return to Earth. When he is told he must relinquish his powers in order to do so, Rider reluctantly agrees.^[16]

Upon his return to earth, Rider lives a quiet life working as a cook at a fast food restaurant and barely making ends meet due to his disrupted education. He finds much of his prior life has passed him by and searches for a way to regain the powers he relinquished. He consults Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four to see if he could regain his powers. Unknown to him, during this period, the planet Xandar is utterly destroyed in an attack by the space pirate Nebula.^[17]

In a bid to secure new super-powered allies, the superhero Night Thrasher breaks into S.H.I.E.L.D. computers and steals the data of Richards' examination of Rider and other super-powered individuals. Deducing that Rider's powers were not taken completely from him but instead lay dormant inside the young man's body, Night Thrasher convinces himself that a high-stress situation will be enough to reactivate Rider's powers and open him up to recruitment. To that end, Night Thrasher kidnaps Rider and drops him off the top of a multi-story building. The fall causes Rider's powers to reignite from within him, saving his life.^[18]

Although highly annoyed at Night Thrasher's cavalier attitude, Rider joins his superhero group, the New Warriors,^[18] who first appear as a team aiding Thor in his fight with Juggernaut.^[19] Though their first battle pits them against Terrax the Tamer,^[20] their adventures together typically include dealing with street level supervillains as well as Nova's old foe the Sphinx. During this time, Rider begins dating teammate Namorita and becomes close friends with Speedball. While he was working with the New Warriors, Rider's parents learned that he had once again become Nova.^[21] Richard briefly dated Yale student Laura Dunham after she accidentally hit his his delivery van during one of Rider's many odd jobs.^[22][23]

Functioning for several years as an earth-bound superhero with no connection to the now defunct Nova Corps, Rider eventually encounters Garthan Saal, a former Nova Corps Centurion who has been driven insane by his quest to absorb the entirety of the Nova Force that powers all Nova Centurions. Having failed in his effort to exact revenge on Nebula for the destruction of his home planet, Saal instead turns his attention to restoring Xandar to its former glory. Stripping Rider of his powers for a second time, Saal transports Rider to Xandar again and forces him to assist in jump-starting the process that restores the dead planet to life. Rider also witnesses the reformation of the Nova Corps, which appoints him to the rank of Centurion Prime.^[24]

Assigned to Earth, Rider is confronted with the challenge of balancing dual lives as a member of both the Nova Corps as well as the New Warriors. Rider soon encounters another Nova Corps member from an alternate timeline named Nova 0:0,^[25] who attempts to prepare him to fight a mysterious force that had destroyed his own Earth: "the Deathstorm." Defying the direct order of Xandar's Queen Adora to return to Xandar to quell an emergency, Rider succeeds in stopping the Deathstorm and saving Earth.^[26] His success is short-lived, however, as Rider finds himself stripped of his powers once again and replaced as Centurion Prime by Garthan Saal.^[27] After several months, Saal is killed by Volx, Queen of the Dire Wraiths, returning the Nova force to Rider with his final breath.^[28]

During the Annihilation storyline, Nova briefly travels the US with the reformed New Warriors as part of a reality television show.^[29] After the first season of the show, however, Rider leaves the group for Xandar to report for duty alongside the entire Nova Corps, which has been fully mobilized to respond to an unknown threat. Xandar and the Nova Corps are swiftly decimated by a surprise attack by the Annihilation Wave, a force from the Negative Zone.^[30] As the only surviving centurion, Rider makes contact with the Xandarian Worldmind, a living supercomputer that is the regulator of the Nova Force and caretaker of the entire collective database of Xandarian civilization. Worldmind explains that there is no choice but to upload itself and the entire Nova Force into his body and mind. This act greatly enhances his already superhuman strength and durability as well as granting him control of the nearly limitless energies of the Nova Force.^[31] During the Annihilation War, Rider takes command of the United Front, a loose collaboration of soldiers hailing from the worlds already under siege by Annihilus. In a nearly year-long campaign, Rider almost succeeds in pushing back the Wave's advance across the galaxy. When Annihilus utilizes the stolen power of his captive Galactus to destroy an entire planet, Rider switches tactics. Disbanding the United Front, he leads a small team deep into the Wave's conquered territory, intent on assassinating Annihilus himself. Forging alliances with the likes of Blastaar and the Galadorian Spaceknights along the way, Rider eventually engages Annihilus himself in personal combat, killing him and halting his wave of destruction.^[32]

Attempting to aid the Kree against an assault from the Phalanx during the Annihilation: Conquest storyline, Rider is badly wounded and crash lands on a sparsely populated Kree outpost.^[33] While Rider's unconscious body recovered, Worldmind deputized a local commander, Ko Rel, to guard him. When she disobeys Worldmind's direction, Rider is infected by the transmode virus and leaves with Gamora, who is now a part of the Phalanx.^[34] Now tasked with killing Rider before the Worldmind falls into enemy hands, Ko-Rel attacks him, only to be killed by Gamora in retaliation. Upon her death, her fraction of the Nova force returns to Rider and enables him to overcome the transmode virus. He flees Kree space pursued by Gamora and a Phanlanx-controlled Drax.^[35] Seeking a cure for the transmode virus, Rider eventually arrives on Kvch, home planet of the Technarchy. Rider enlists the help of the mutant Warlock and his son Tyro, who cure Rider, Drax, and Gamora of the transmode virus. The five return to Hala to engage the Phalanx.^[36][37]

After the Annihilation war, Rider began to proactively police the universe. When Worldmind insists Rider rest, he returns home to Earth. Angry that his pleas for help in the Annihilation War were ignored for the Civil War and feeling out of place on earth, Rider returns to space.^[38]

When ambushed by some Skrulls during the Secret Invasion storyline, Rider is aided by Kl'rt. He learns about the Secret Invasion and heads for Earth.^[39] Rider learns that Project Pegasus, the base where his brother now works, is under Skrull attack. Working with Darkhawk, Rider successfully stops the Skrulls' advance. The scientists of the facility extract the Worldmind from his brain and use the supercomputer to jump-start a project known as the quantum flask, which restores Quasar to life.^[40] A Skrull warship is about to attack Project Pegasus but is destroyed by a band of alien Nova Centurions who then declare their allegiance to Rider.^[41]

During the War of Kings storyline, Rider learns that Worldmind had been recruiting for the Corps without telling him. When he learns that Ego the Living Planet is among the new recruits,^[42] he becomes enraged and tries to battle Worldmind. As a result, he is stripped of his rank and ejected from the Nova Corps.^[13] Because his body has become dependant on the Nova Force, Rider will die if he is without it for too long.^[43] As a temporary measure, he borrows the quantum bands from Wendall Vaughn and becomes Quasar.^[44] Using his new abilities, Rider goes to rescue the Corps from the War of Kings. Ego is removed as a Centurian and Rider regains his Nova Prime status, but not before most of the new recruits were slaughtered by the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. Nova agrees to train the remaining new Centurions including his younger brother Robert.^[45]

In the Realm of Kings storyline, a lost Nova Corps ship appeared from a tear in space-time known as the Fault. Onboard was Zan Philo, a long-missing Nova centurion. Philo was assigned to train the probationers.^[46] Later, Rider and Darkhawk found themselves inside the Fault, where they are called to do battle for the Sphinx against his younger self. Because of the unstable timestream inside the Fault, Nova was able to return with Namorita, his old girlfriend who had died a few years earlier.^[47] Richard returned to Project Pegasus, where he confronts an alternate Quasar who came from the universe created by the Fault.^[48]

Catching up to the alternate Quasar, Rider arrives back at the Fault just in time to see the Universal Church of Truth rip it wide open.^[49] As Nova struggles to defend the Kree and Shi'ar warships against creatures inside the Fault, he receives assistance from Quasar and the Silver Surfer. They leave the battle to chase down Lord Mar-Vell, the evil alternate version of Captain Marvel. After failing to stop Mar-Vell, Rider learns that the Guardians of the Galaxy need his help inside the Fault. Once there, Nova and the Guardians watch Thanos destroy Mar-Vell. Now facing an enraged Thanos, Rider pulls the nova force from the rest of the corps for extra strength. He and Star-Lord are able to hold Thanos back for the few minutes it takes for the Fault to close, trapping all three of them in an alternate universe. Nova and Star-Lord receive a statue in their honor on Hala.^[50]

Powers and abilities[link]

Nova derives his powers from an energy source called the Nova Force which all Nova Corps Centurions wield. This energy was transferred by Xandarian technology to Rider by the Nova-Centurion Rhomann Dey. Nova's small measure of the Nova Force gives him superhuman powers including flight, superhuman strength, speed, and durability, as well as the power to absorb energy directed against him and release it as gravimetric pulses and beams, either from specific parts of his body or from his entire body. Nova is a good hand-to-hand combatant, and has been coached by Chord.

Nova wears a standard Xandarian StarCorps uniform, designed to accommodate his powers without being damaged by them. The uniform is highly resistant to damage, including outer space conditions, and is airtight. In addition, the uniform has a built-in life support function that can sustain Rider under the most extreme environmental conditions, including acting as a life-support suit by locking off the mouth and eyes of the helmet. The helmet contains a radio telescopic sights, night vision sensors, and heat imaging sensors, as well as a visual heads-up display for tracking energy signatures. Nova's helmet has a rigid construction and shape when worn, but becomes as malleable as cloth when it is not, allowing Rider to hide it in his civilian clothes when desired. Nova's uniform is not only extremely malleable; it is also designed with specific weapons and functions to aid Rider in his role as a Nova Corps Centurion. Among these features are an electromagnetic discharge that can nullify gravity and access to StarGates that allow him to enter hyperspace, where he can move at velocities exceeding the speed of light. Rider can also alter the appearance and nature of his uniform to suit his needs. However, as Rider learns the hard way, the StarCorps keeps a strict dress code. When he makes major cosmetic changes to his uniform after rejoining the New Warriors, Nova is summarily ordered to conform to standard.

During Annihilation, Rider's uniform is altered and enhanced to house the Xandarian Worldmind as well as the entire Nova Force, which was previously used by all members of the Nova Corps. With the Worldmind and the Nova Force, Rider possesses tremendously augmented strength and durability as well as nearly limitless quantities of energy. The Worldmind consists of the entire culture and history of Xandar as well as the individual minds of thousands of years of dead Xandarians. The consensus voice of the Worldmind can speak directly to Rider, helping him to control the nova force, fight enemies, sense energy, interface with electronics, and protect against psionic abilities. The Worldmind can also assume direct control of Rider's body when he is asleep.^{[51][52][53][54]}

Reception and legacy[link]

IGN ranked Nova as the 98th greatest comic book character, calling Nova a blend of Spider-Man and Green Lantern. They also stated that Nova experiences a growth into maturity through the Annihilation Wave storyline where Nova embraced his destiny as a premier defender of a battered galaxy.^[55]

Other versions[link]

Earth X[link]

In the alternate future of Earth X, Nova resides in the afterlife. He and two other deceased heroes, Ms. Marvel and Star-Lord, lead an initial charge against Mephisto but are swiftly defeated.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Marvel Zombies[link]

Nova is featured in the Marvel Zombies edition Dead Days. Unable to overcome his fear and horror of the slaughter occurring around him, Nova fails to act in his own defense when Spider-Man attacks him. Fortunately for Nova, Daredevil intervenes but is bitten when Nova is too shocked to assist. He and The Mighty Thor are rescued by the Fantastic Four and united with the other surviving heroes on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Nova panics further when Nick Fury formulates a desperate last stand defense, citing that this was nothing like previous global threats; and that the world was as good as dead. Regardless, Nova helps in the battle until he is bitten by Ms. Marvel.^{[volume & issue needed]} As a zombie, he participates in a failed attack on Doctor Doom's castle, in an effort to get at the humans inside.^{[volume & issue needed]} A zombie version of Nova can be seen in the Marvel Zombies limited series, being shredded by a hail of metal fragments hurled by Magneto.^{[volume & issue needed]}

He is still mobile when a swarm of zombies attack and attempt to consume the Silver Surfer. During the incident, Zombie Hulk crushes Zombie Hercules when the latter attempts to steal the Silver Surfer's head. Nova backs away, saying "On second thought, you keep that, big guy". He is later killed by the cosmic zombies.^[56]

[edit] MC2

Richard Rider appears frequently in the Spider-Girl series, which is set in an alternate future. The MC2 Nova (co-created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz) first appeared in Spider-Girl #7 and wrongly believed Spider-Girl was a supervillain since she was fighting Darkdevil at the time. After a brief battle Nova later realizes his mistake.^[57]

Over time, the MC2 Nova attempts to tutor Spider-Girl on the importance of being a superhero. His arrogance and lack of patience with younger heroes causes his lessons to be largely ignored. However, the fact that Nova was a founding member of the New Warriors gave Spider-Girl the inspiration to form a new MC2 version of the Warriors.^{[volume & issue needed]}

By the time of the series, Nova has served as a temporary Avenger. He also appears in the Last Hero Standing and Avengers Next limited series. Nova also assisted in the battle against Galactus in Last Planet Standing.^{[volume & issue needed]} The Nova in the MC2/Spider-Girl future is eventually confirmed to be Richard Rider in Avengers Next #2. His attitude toward Spider-Girl is often arrogant and dismissive, bordering on the contemptuous; but later he becomes impressed by her, after her surviving a battle against the Avengers' enemy Seth.^[58]

Forever Yesterday[link]

Nova appears as a member of a team of Avengers from a parallel reality where the Middle East is the dominant superpower. He serves the ruler of this dimension, the tyrannical female Sphinx. He is shown the truth of how the female Sphinx used the energy of the Ka Stone to reshape reality by the original Sphinx's former advisor Sayge. Nova betrays the Sphinx to join Marvel Man (Vance Astrovik) and Firestar of that world's Mutant Liberation Front as well as Night Thrasher whose parents were murdered in this reality on the orders of the Sphinx. When Nova threatens to murder the Sphinx's cat, she restores reality.^[59]

Nova 0:0[link]

The second Nova series Nova deals with Nova 0:0 who is much more adept at using his powers than Richard Rider. He often fights Nova in order to test him and to push Nova into using his powers in new ways. It is revealed that this Nova is in fact the alternate reality version of Richard's younger brother Robert. In that reality Robert gained the Nova Force powers instead of Richard and stayed behind to lead the Nova Corps and help Xandar rebuild after the war with the Skrulls. Robert's earth had been destroyed by the Deathstorm while he was off in space. Nova 0:0 would later sacrifice his life preventing the Deathstorm from destroying the 616-version of Earth. He died and was buried on Mars. In the fourth Nova series the Robert Rider of the 616-version of Earth also becomes a member of the Nova Corps (alongside various other humans and non-humans) and again proves capable of using his powers in ways his brother Richard had not.^{[volume & issue needed][60]}

Ultimate Nova[link]

In Ultimate Origins #5, the Ultimate Watchers announce to the Fantastic Four that they "will now pick a herald to help you with your new world order." They choose Rick Jones, who then develops superpowers. After a fight alongside Iceman, Human Torch, and Spider-Man, he selects the name Nova as his superhero alias.^[61] He does not appear to have any relation to the mainstream Nova other than name.

[edit] What If

An issue of What If? looks at what would have taken place if four different people had acquired the power of Nova:^[62]

• A young woman who had recently witnessed her husband being murdered by a random thief. Using the Nova powers, she unleashed a wave of vengeance on criminals as she searched for her husband's killer even throwing the Kingpin out of a window when he failed to provide her with the information she sought. Her enraged mind is unable to discriminate between good and evil as she attacks anyone who she perceives as hindering her quest. Nova's career culminates in a fight against the Fantastic Four. Recognizing that she cannot be allowed to take justice into her own hands even if she had mainly killed criminals, the team banishes her to the Negative Zone. After her departure, police discovered the body of her husband's killer in a car that had fallen into a river months ago.
• A homeless man discovered the Nova costume after being thrown out of a hotel, and wore it for warmth, When he became caught up in a Skrull attack on Earth that coincidentally started at the orphanage where he was staying for the night on Christmas, the man donned the Nova costume and fought the Skrulls, culminating in him sacrificing himself to destroy the Skrull fleet.
• Peter Parker, paralyzed in this reality due to the spider-bite that gave him his powers in the true Marvel Universe, is bitter at the world due to his useless legs and his Aunt May's death from shock after she first learned about his paralysis. When he acquired the Nova powers, Peter flew home to reveal his good fortune to his Uncle Ben, only to surprise the burglar when he was attempting to rob the house, resulting in the burglar's bullet ricocheting off the Nova armor and killing him. Stricken with grief at his role in a man's death, Peter throws the costume away vowing never to use it again.
• An unidentified man used the Nova powers to lead Earth's criminals in the conquest of Earth and destruction of the heroes only to be killed when Doctor Doom and the Red Skull turned on him out of jealousy, allowing the Sphinx to take control of the Nova-Prime computer and use it to search the minds of the world for the meaning of his existence.

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Nova appears as a background cameo in the Silver Surfer episode "Learning Curve Part 1".
• Nova appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "So Pretty When They Explode", voiced by Jason Marsden. Thanos defeats the Nova Corps and captures him alongside the Power Infinity Gem. Iron Man had to work with Thor, Hulk, Hercules, and She-Hulk in order to rescue Nova and defeat Thanos.

Video games[link]

• Nova's voice was featured in an audio log for the New Warriors in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced by Robert Tinkler.
• Nova appears as a playable character in the Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet video game, voiced by Jason Marsden.
• Nova appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting game Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3,^[63] voiced by Troy Baker. The Sam Alexander version of the Nova costume is available as an alternate costume.
• Nova is a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.

Toys[link]

• Nova received a 6 inch figure in his original costume in the Holocaust series of Marvel Legends in 2009. It was a Walmart exclusive.
• Nova was represented in his Nova Prime costume by Eaglemoss in the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection magazine. The 94 cm lead figure was released as number 54 in the series.
• In 2012, Nova will be included in the Marvel Universe 3 3/4" figure line in his Nova Prime costume.^[64]
• Nova Prime was a playable character in the Galactic Guardians set of Marvel Heroclix.^[65]

Collected editions[link]

Trade paperbacks include:

• Essential Nova (collects Nova (vol. 1) #1-25, Marvel Two-In-One Annual #3, The Amazing Spider-Man #171, Essential Marvel, March 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2093-9)
• The New Warriors
  • The New Warriors: Beginnings (collects Thor #411-412 and The New Warriors #1-4, September 1992, ISBN 0-87135-916-2)
  • New Warriors Classic: Volume 1 (collects The New Warriors (vol. 1) #1-6 and Thor #411-412, 208 pages, August 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3742-4)
  • New Warriors Classic: Volume 2 (collects The New Warriors (vol. 1) #7-10, Annual #1; New Mutants (Vol.1) Annual #7, Uncanny X-Men Annual #15 and X-Factor (Vol.1) Annual #6, 256 pages, May 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4263-0)
  • New Warriors: Reality Check (collects The New Warriors (vol. 3) #1-6, 144 pages, March 2006, ISBN 0-7851-1661-3)
• Nova vol. 4 (by co-authors Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, 2007-ongoing):
  • Volume 1 (hardcover, 328 pages, January 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3654-1):
    • Annihilation - Conquest (with pencils by Sean Chen and inks by Scott Hanna, collects Nova #1-7, 168 pages, December 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2631-7)
    • Knowhere (with pencils by Wellington Alves and inks by Wellington Diaz and Nelson Pereira, collects Nova #8-12 and Annual #1, 144 pages, August 2008, ISBN 0-7851-2632-5)
  • Secret Invasion (collects Nova #13-18, March 2009, ISBN 0-7851-2662-7)
  • Nova Corps (collects Nova #19-22, and "Nova: Origin of Richard Rider", 144 pages, May 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3188-4)
  • War of Kings (collects Nova #23-28, 144 pages, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4066-2)
  • Realm of Kings (collects Nova #29-36, 168 pages, softcover, June 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4067-0)

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Smith, Doug (2009). Back Issue #33. Raleigh: Twomorrows. ISSN 1932-6904. 

External links[link]

• Nova (Richard Rider) at Marvel.com
• Richard Rider at the Marvel Database Project
• Nova Prime Page (Rich Rider)
• Nova (Richard Rider) at the Comic Book DB

Artist's conception of a white dwarf star accreting hydrogen from a larger companion

A nova (plural novae) is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner. Novae are not to be confused with supernovae or luminous red novae.

Development[link]

If a white dwarf has a close companion star that overflows its Roche lobe, the white dwarf will steadily accrete gas from the companion's outer atmosphere. The companion may be a main sequence star, or one that is aging and expanding into a red giant. The captured gases consist primarily of hydrogen and helium, the two principal constituents of ordinary matter in the universe. The gases are compacted on the white dwarf's surface by its intense gravity, compressed and heated to very high temperatures as additional material is drawn in. The white dwarf consists of degenerate matter, and so does not inflate at increased heat, while the accreted hydrogen is compressed upon the surface. The dependence of the hydrogen fusion rate on temperature and pressure means that it is only when it is compressed and heated at the surface of the white dwarf to a temperature of some 20 million kelvin that a nuclear fusion reaction occurs; at these temperatures, hydrogen burns via the CNO cycle.

For most binary system parameters, the hydrogen burning is thermally unstable and rapidly converts a large amount of the hydrogen into other heavier elements in a runaway reaction.^[1] (Hydrogen fusion can occur in a stable manner on the surface, but only for a narrow range of accretion rates.) The enormous amount of energy liberated by this process blows the remaining gases away from the white dwarf's surface and produces an extremely bright outburst of light. The rise to peak brightness can be very rapid or gradual which is related to the speed class of the nova; after the peak, the brightness declines steadily.^[2] The time taken for a nova to decay by 2 or 3 magnitudes from maximum optical brightness is used to classify a nova via its speed class. A fast nova will typically take less than 25 days to decay by 2 magnitudes and a slow nova will take over 80 days.^[3]

In spite of their violence, the amount of material ejected in novae is usually only about ¹⁄_10,000 of a solar mass, quite small relative to the mass of the white dwarf. Furthermore, only five percent of the accreted mass is fused to power the outburst.^[1] Nonetheless, this is enough energy to accelerate nova ejecta to velocities as high as several thousand kilometers per second—higher for fast novae than slow ones—with a concurrent rise in luminosity from a few times solar to 50,000–100,000 times solar.^[1][4] In 2010 scientists using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope were surprised to discover, for the first time, that a nova can also emit gamma-rays (>100 MeV).^[5]

A white dwarf can potentially generate multiple novae over time as additional hydrogen continues to accrete onto its surface from its companion star. An example is RS Ophiuchi, which is known to have flared six times (in 1898, 1933, 1958, 1967, 1985, and again in 2006). Eventually, the white dwarf could explode as a type Ia supernova if it approaches the Chandrasekhar limit.

Occasionally a nova is bright enough and close enough to be conspicuous to the unaided eye. The brightest recent example was Nova Cygni 1975. This nova appeared on 29 August 1975, in the constellation Cygnus about five degrees north of Deneb and reached magnitude 2.0 (nearly as bright as Deneb). The most recent was V1280 Scorpii which reached magnitude 3.7 on 17 February 2007.

Helium novae[link]

A helium nova is a proposed category of nova explosion that lacks hydrogen lines in the spectrum. This may be caused by the explosion of a helium shell on a white dwarf. It was proposed by Kato, Saio and Hachisu in 1989. The first candidate helium nova to be observed was V445 Puppis in 2000.^[6] Since then, four other novae explosions have been proposed as helium novae.^[7]

Occurrence rate, and astrophysical significance[link]

Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way experiences roughly 30 to 60 novae per year, with a likely rate of about 40.^[1] The number of novae discovered in the Milky Way each year is much lower, about 10.^[8] Roughly 25 novae brighter than about magnitude 20 are discovered in the Andromeda Galaxy each year and smaller numbers are seen in other nearby galaxies.^[9]

Spectroscopic observation of nova ejecta nebulae has shown that they are enriched in elements such as helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon and magnesium.^[1] The contribution of novae to the interstellar medium is not great; novae supply only ¹⁄₅₀ as much material to the Galaxy as supernovae, and only ¹⁄₂₀₀ as much as red giant and supergiant stars.^[1]

Recurrent novae like RS Ophiuchi (those with periods on the order of decades) are rare. Astronomers theorize however that most, if not all, novae are recurrent, albeit on time scales ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 years.^[10] The recurrence interval for a nova is less dependent on the white dwarf's accretion rate than on its mass; with their powerful gravity, massive white dwarfs require less accretion to fuel an outburst than lower-mass ones.^[1] Consequently, the interval is shorter for high-mass white dwarfs.^[1]

Subtypes[link]

Novae are classified according to the light curve development speed, thus in

• NA: Fast novae, with a rapid brightness increase, followed by a brightness decline of 3 magnitudes — to circa ¹⁄₁₆ brightness — within 100 days.^[11]
• NB: Slow novae, with a 3 magnitudes decline in 150 days or more.
• NC: Very slow novae, staying at maximum light for a decade or more, fading very slowly. It is possible that NC type novae are objects differing physically very much from normal novae, for example planetary nebulae in formation, exhibiting Wolf-Rayet star like features.
• NR/RN: Recurrent novae, novae with two or more outbursts separated by 10–80 years have been observed.^[12]

Etymology[link]

The astronomer Tycho Brahe observed the supernova SN 1572 in the constellation Cassiopeia, and described it in his book De stella nova (Latin for "concerning the new star"), giving rise to the name nova. In this work he argued that a nearby object should be seen to move relative to the fixed stars, and that the nova had to be very far away. Though this was a supernova and not a classical nova, the terms were considered interchangeable until the 1930s.^[1]

Novae as distance indicators[link]

Nova Eridani 2009 (apparent magnitude ~8.4) during a full moon

Novae have some promise for use as standard candles. For instance, the distribution of their absolute magnitude is bimodal, with a main peak at magnitude −8.8, and a lesser one at −7.5. Novae also have roughly the same absolute magnitude 15 days after their peak (−5.5). Comparisons of nova-based distance estimates to various nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters with those done with Cepheid variable stars have shown them to be of comparable accuracy.^[13]

Bright novae since 1890[link]

This section requires expansion.

Over 53 novae have been registered since 1890.

Recurrent novae[link]

There are ten known galactic recurrent novae.^[14] The recurrent nova typically brightens by about 8.6 magnitude, whereas a classic nova brightens by more than 12 magnitude.^[14] Some of the better known and more easily observed recurrent novae are listed below.

Extragalactic novae[link]

Novae in M31 are relatively common.^[9] There are roughly a couple dozen novae to be discovered (brighter than about apparent magnitude 20) in M31 each year.^[9] The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT) tracks novae in M31, M33, and M81.^[15]

See also[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nova

• Schaefer (2009). "Comprehensive Photometric Histories of All Known Galactic Recurrent Novae". arXiv:0912.4426 [astro-ph.SR]. 
• Shafter et al. (2011). "A Spectroscopic and Photometric Survey of Novae in M31". arXiv:1104.0222 [astro-ph.SR]. 
• General Catalog of Variable Stars, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow
• AAVSO Variable Star of the Month. Novae: May 2001
• Long Anticipated Eruption of U Scorpii Has Begun (Universe Today 2010-Jan-28)
• Extragalactic Novae

v t e Variable stars Pulsating Cepheids and cepheid-like Classic Cepheid Type II Cepheids RR Lyrae Delta Scuti SX Phoenicis Blue-white with earlyspectra Beta Cephei PV Telescopii Long Period and Semiregular Mira Semiregular Slow irregular Other RV Tauri Alpha Cygni Pulsating white dwarf Eruptive Protostar Herbig Ae/Be Orion FU Orionis Main Sequence Wolf-Rayet Flare Giants and supergiants Luminous blue Gamma Cassiopeiae R Coronae Borealis Eruptive binary RS Canum Venaticorum Cataclysmic or explosive Cataclysmic variable star Dwarf nova Nova Supernova Z Andromedae Rotating Non-spherical Ellipsoidal Stellar spots FK Comae Berenices BY Draconis Magnetic fields Alpha-2 Canum Venaticorum SX Arietis Pulsar Eclipsing Algol Beta Lyrae W Ursae Majoris The Star Portal

Tom Brevoort
Brevoort at the December 21, 2010 press conference to announce the "Fear Itself" event at Midtown Comics Times Square in Manhattan.
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Editor

Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing. He holds both titles as of 2011.^[1]

Career[link]

Tom Brevoort began working for Marvel Comics as a college intern in 1989,^[2] Commenting on his rationale for taking a non-paying entry-level job, Brevoort recalls, "Well, obviously, to get a leg up on getting into the business,” explains Brevoort, who began at Marvel as an intern in the summer of 1989. “In the illustration program I attended at the University of Delaware, senior students were required to get and serve an internship at some company or institution related to the field of illustration. In our initial freshman orientation, the head of the department mentioned that they had previously placed one student at Marvel Comics, so I figured that was where I would set my sights."^[3]

Brevoort worked his way up to an assistant editor and later an editor in his own right. From 2007, he held the title of Executive Editor with Marvel and was responsible for multiple series including New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four.^[2]

In July 2010 Brevoort and fellow Marvel editor Axel Alonso began a weekly column on Comic Book Resources called "Marvel T&A", a new installment of which appears every Friday, along with Joe Quesada's "Cup O' Joe" column.^[4][5]

On January 4, 2011 Brevoort was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing of Marvel Comics.^[6]

Awards[link]

• 1997 Eisner Award for Best Editor (nomination, for Untold Tales of Spider-Man and Daily Bugle)^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tom Brevoort

• Tom Brevoort at the Grand Comics Database
• Tom Brevoort at the Comic Book DB
• Tom Brevoort on Myspace
• Tom Brevoort's blog at Marvel.com

This biographical article about a print editor of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb.
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Executive Producer
Notable works	Daredevil: Yellow, Hulk: Gray, Spider-Man: Blue, Batman: Hush, Superman/Batman Batman: The Long Halloween, Teen Wolf, Commando, Lost
Awards	Nominated Emmy Award, WGA Award HEROES Season 1, Eisner Awards (4 times), Wizard Awards (5 times), Jules Verne Award, Honorary Doctorate, St. Edwards University Austin Texas

Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its premiere in 2006 to November 2008.^[1]

In 2010, Loeb became Head of Television for Marvel in charge of drama, comedy and animation.^[2]

A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner, Loeb's comic book work, which has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list, includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale.

Early life[link]

Jeph Loeb grew up in Stamford, Connecticut.^[3][4] He began collecting comic books during the summer of 1970.^[5]

His later stepfather was a vice-president at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, where Jeph met one of his mentors and greatest influences in comic book writing, the writer Elliot Maggin.^[6][7] Jeph however attended Columbia University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's degree in Film.^[2][8] His instructors included Paul Schrader.^[9]

Film and TV career[link]

Loeb's debut in filmmaking was his collaboration with Matthew Weisman in authoring the script of Teen Wolf. The film was released on August 23, 1985 and was a notable starring role for Michael J. Fox. Loeb and Weisman then collaborated in writing the script of Commando. The film was released on October 4, 1985 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

His next screen credit was the film Burglar, released on March 20, 1987. The plot was based on the novels of Lawrence Block about fictional burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. His collaborators were Weisman and Hugh Wilson. The film was atypical for the time, featuring a female comedic role for starring actress Whoopi Goldberg. His second film that year was Teen Wolf Too, a sequel of Teen Wolf, which was co-written by Weisman and Tim Kring. The film was released on November 20, 1987. The film featured teen idol Jason Bateman and veteran actor John Astin. Loeb would re-team with Kring almost two decades later for the TV series Heroes.

Four years later, Loeb was working on a script for The Flash as a feature with Warner Bros. While the script deal fell through, Loeb met then publisher Jenette Kahn who asked Loeb to write a comic book for DC Comics.

In 2002, Jeph Loeb wrote the script for the episode of Smallville, entitled "Red", which introduced Red kryptonite into the series. He became a supervising producer, and has written many episodes since then. He signed a three-year contract, and although producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough offered to keep him on for future seasons, Loeb left to care for his son, who had cancer (See Comics career below).^[10]

Loeb later became a writer/producer on the ABC TV series Lost during that show's second season. Leaving Lost, Loeb went on to become Co-Executive Producer and writer on the NBC drama Heroes, which his colleague Tim Kring had created. Loeb wrote the teleplay for the first-season episodes "One Giant Leap" and "Unexpected".^[11] The show prominently features the artwork of Tim Sale, Loeb's longtime artistic collaborator from his comics work.

The series was nominated for the 2007 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and a Writers Guild of America award for Best New Series.^[12] It won the People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama, as well the Saturn Award for Best Network Television Series. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Television Series.

Loeb and Tim Kring were presented with the Jules Verne Award for Artistic Achievement at the Jules Verne Festival in Paris, France on April 22, 2007 for their work on Heroes.^[13] Loeb himself was also presented with a belated 2005 Jules Verne Award for Best Writing for his work on Smallville, which he had not previously been given because his trip to the Festival that year had been cancelled due to his son's ill health.^[14]

On November 2, 2008, Daily Variety reported that Loeb and fellow Heroes co-executive producer, Jesse Alexander, were no longer employed on the series. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Loeb stated, "As of today, Jesse Alexander and I have left Heroes. I'm incredibly proud to have been a big part of the success a show with eight Emmy nods and a win this year for NBC.com. I will miss the superb cast and writing staff and wish everyone the best." At the time, Loeb had completed writing and producing the third season episode, "Dual".^[1][15]

On June 28, 2010, Marvel Entertainment, as part of its expansion into television, appointed Loeb to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President, Head of Television, in which Loeb would work with publisher Dan Buckley, to create both live-action and animated shows based on Marvel’s catalog of characters.^[2]

Comics career[link]

Loeb is known for his extensive use of narration boxes as monologues to reveal the inner thoughts of characters, though the character interactions he writes are sparse in terms of dialogue.^[9]

Jeph Loeb's first comic work was Challengers of the Unknown vol. 2 #1 - #8 (March -October 1991), which was the first of many collaborations with Tim Sale.^[16] Their later collaborations included the "Year 1"-centered Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials;^[17] Batman: The Long Halloween,^[18] a 13-issue limited series; and Batman: Dark Victory,^[19] a 14-issue limited series set in the first years of the hero's career. The Long Halloween was one of three noted comics that influenced the 2005 feature film Batman Begins, the others being Batman: The Man Who Falls and Batman: Year One.^[20] Other Loeb-Sale collaborations at DC include the Superman for All Seasons limited series^[21] and Catwoman: When in Rome.^[22]

Loeb became the writer of Superman with issue #151 (Dec. 1999). His tenure on the title, largely drawn by Ed McGuinness, included the "Emperor Joker"^[23] and "Our Worlds at War"^[24] crossovers. He left Superman with issue #183 (August 2002). At the end of 2002, Loeb teamed with artist Jim Lee to create the year-long story arc "Batman: Hush",^[25] which spawned three lines of toys, posters and calendars, and sat at the #1 spot for eleven of the twelve months it was in publication. The following year, Loeb and McGuinness launched Superman/Batman.^[26] Loeb's run on the title spawned a new ongoing Supergirl series,^[27] and an animated film adapted from Loeb's "Public Enemies" story arc.^[28]