You may have seen enough fireworks on New Year's Eve, but you've never seen fireworks like this. We bet because this is a star show, but like fireworks!

This star show, captured by NASA Chandra XRay, is a nova called GK Persei. It is an example of a "classical nova", or a mass explosion caused by a thermonuclear explosion on the dense surface of a white dwarf star. This usually occurs when a white dwarf and a more massive star (usually a red giant) orbit each other. Together they form a binary star system. The white dwarf plucks material from its companion star, and if enough borrowed mass accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf, a cosmic explosion occurs, resulting in a stellar fireworks display.

Classical novae can be thought of as "mini-supernovae". The basic physics between them is the same, but classical novae are smaller, less energetic and do not result in the destruction of the star.

Image Description:

A firework-like explosion stands out in black space. The bright, white centre of the explosion spreads out in sharp orange flames. A smoky blue cloud fills most of the nova, while a purple spray covers the lower right edge of the explosion.