Thursday

M31N 2008-12a is a remarkable recurrent nova which has unprecedented annual eruptions. Located in the Andromeda Galaxy this accreting white dwarf has grown to almost the Chandrasekhar mass and accumulates matter more rapidly than any other known white dwarf. The annual eruptions are both faint and exceptionally short-lived, but over time a vast nova 'super-remnant' has been grown around the central system.

The '12a Collaboration' is a group of around 100 astronomers, half of which are employed to do astronomy, the other half are not. The contributions from groups such as the BAA, AAVSO, VSOLJ, and individuals to this project are priceless.

In this talk I will talk about '12a' itself, how it has revolutionised nova-physics, and how this research is only made possible by the fabulous Pro-Am team that has come together. I will include stories of some of the heroic efforts many members of our team have gone to in order to obtain observations of this system!

Our future plans are to continue this fruitful collaboration for 12a as it evolves towards an eventual type Ia supernova explosion in (hopefully much) less than 20,000 years.