The development of a thermonuclear fireball with an unprecedented clarity that exploded in the Delphinus constellation in the previous year was observed by Gail Schaefer, from Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution and 37 other researchers among 17 institutions.

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The first images of a nova during its early fireball stage were produced by observations that also revealed how the shape of discharged material develops as the gas expands and cools. Researchers said the expansion is more complicated than previously simple models.

Within 24 hours of the actual explosion and within 15 hours of the discovery of Nova Delphinus 2013, astronomers pointed the telescopes of the CHARA Array towards the nova to record the size and shape of its fireball.

The size of the fireball was measured over 27 nights over the course of two months. The very first measurement constitutes the earliest obtained size of a nova event yet.

On Aug. 14, 2013, Koichi Itagaki, a Japanese amateur astronomer, found a "new" star subsequently named Nova Delphinus 2013.

A nova occurs after a buildup of a thin layer of hydrogen on the surface of a white dwarf, a highly developed star with the mass of the Sun and the diameter of the Earth. A close companion, such as a normal star in a binary star system, supplies the hydrogen for the white dwarf.

After the level of the hydrogen "ocean" reaches some 650 feet or 200 meters deep, the substantial gravity of the surface of the white dwarf creates pressures at the bottom of the layer of the ocean enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, similar to a hydrogen bomb.

The star's usual brightness will be dim compared to the light from the explosion. The object may immediately be visible to the naked eye in parts of the universe that previously had no bright stars. The star will slowly fade over the ensuing weeks as the fireball expands, cools and disappears.

TagsNova, Delphinus, Nova Delphinus 2013, Hydrogen, Delphinus constellation, Star, Hydrogen power