A micronova is a type of thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf much smaller than the strength of a nova; being about 1×1039 ergs (1.0×10−12 foe; 1.0×1032 J) in strength, about a millionth that of a typical nova. The phenomenon was first described in April 2022.[1][2][3]
A team led by Durham University researchers announced on 20 April 2022 that they identified three micronovae using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).[4]
The phenomenon had previously been observed in the white dwarf binary TV Columbae using data from the International Ultraviolet Explorer.[5] However the data was not sufficient to infer the physical mechanism behind the explosion.