The number of Milky Way nova explosions per year has been pinned down
Every year, about four dozen of these stellar eruptions occur in our galaxy
![Nova Persei 1901](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/020821_kc_nova_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
A nova makes a dim star shine roughly 100,000 times as brightly as the sun. This image shows Nova Persei 1901 about a century after its explosion, with magenta, yellow and blue indicating radio waves, visible light and X-rays, respectively.
X-ray: D. Takei et al, NASA, CXC, RIKEN; Optical: STScI, NASA; Radio: VLA/NRAO