A white dwarf whose red giant companion dumps hydrogen onto it may

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a white dwarf accretes hydrogen from a companion star in a binary system, it may undergo a runaway fusion reaction and explode as a nova. However, if the white dwarf accretes enough material to reach the Chandrasekhar limit (1.4 solar masses), it will explode as a Type Ia supernova. Thus, the white dwarf can either explode recurrently as a nova or blow up as a Type Ia supernova, depending on how much material it accretes.

A White Dwarf Whose Red Giant Companion Dumps Hydrogen onto It