GK Persei

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GK Persei (also Nova Persei 1901) was a bright nova occurring in 1901 in Perseus, with right ascension 03^h 31^m 12^s and declination +43° 54′ 17″. It reached a maximum magnitude of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918. Unlike Nova Aquilae 1918, after fading into obscurity at about magnitude 12 to 13 during the early 20^th century, GK Persei began displaying infrequent outbursts of 2 to 3 magnitudes (about 7 to 15 times quiescent brightness). Since about 1980, these outbursts have become quite regular, typically lasting about two months and occurring about every three years. Thus, GK Persei has seemed to change from a classical nova like Nova Aquilae 1918, to more recently resemble a typical dwarf nova-type cataclysmic variable star.

Nova Persei 1901 was discovered by Thomas David Anderson.

[edit] Popular culture

This nova figures in the plot of H. P. Lovecraft's short story "Beyond the Wall of Sleep".

[edit] External links

• http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/N/Nova_Persei_1901.html
• http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/users/mukai/iphome/systems/gkper.html
• Variable Star Of The Month - Nov 2000: GK Persei from the AAVSO