Table of Contents

Preface

Part I Foundations

1 - The Early History of the Transient Sky

2 - Novae and the Nature of Spiral Nebulae

3 - Early Photographic Surveys

4 - A Physical Model for Novae

Part II The Modern Era

5 - Nova Rates and Populations in the Milky Way

6 - Modern Nova Surveys of M31

7 - Extragalactic Nova Rates and Populations

8 - Outstanding Questions and Future Prospects

About the Author

Allen W Shafter is an emeritus professor of astronomy at San Diego State University, and has been studying extragalactic novae for more than 35 years. During his career, Shafter has published more than 100 refereed papers, mostly on cataclysmic variable stars, generally, and novae in particular. In addition to his faculty responsibilities, Shafter currently serves as a scientific editor for the Stars and Stellar Physics corridor of the AAS journals.