So Sol can’t supernova. But can it nova?
No. Astronomers are sure that novae happen when a white dwarf accretes matter from a companion star, and the white dwarf "hiccups" and blows off the newly accreted gas. A nova is a much smaller explosion than a supernova, because when a star goes nova it only blows off its surface, but when it goes supernova it burns itself out completely and scatters its innards all over its galactic neighbourhood!
Astronomers now believe that T Pyxidis is destined to go supernova in the future because it is currently accreting gas from its companion, and in the past it has gone nova several times, blowing off its recently-acquired gas. But now T Pyxidis has not gone nova for a couple of decades, and, to compare it with a woman who discovers that she is going to have a child, T Pyxidis is "late"! It is "pregnant" with a super-duper-nova explosion, and we just don't know how long the gestation period will be...
The Sun is never going to go nova, because it doesn't have a stellar companion, so it can't accrete gas from its companion and blow it off. The Sun is single and only moderately massive, and therefore it is destined to have a rather uneventful life!
Ann
