V339 Delphini or Nova Delphini 2013 (PNV J20233073+2046041) is a bright
nova star in the
constellationDelphinus. It was discovered on 14 August 2013 by amateur astronomer
Koichi Itagaki in Japan and confirmed by the
Liverpool Telescope on
La Palma. The nova appeared with a
magnitude 6.8 when it was discovered and peaked at magnitude 4.3 on 16 August 2013.[4][5][6] A nova is produced by the fusion of accumulated material on the white dwarf nova progenitor acquired from its companion star. The nova system is thus a
binary star, and a classical nova.[7] The white dwarf is a
carbon-oxygen white dwarf,[8] with an estimated mass of 1.04±0.02 M☉.[9] There is not yet a consensus about what the binary's orbital period is; estimates range from 3.15 hours[10] to 6.43 hours.[9]
The location of V339 Delphini (circled in red)
V339 Del is the first nova that has been observed to synthesize the element
lithium. Production of lithium-7 from the decay of
beryllium-7, which was observed in the wind blown out of the nova. This is the first direct evidence of the supply of lithium to the interstellar medium by an astronomical object. Lithium-7 is fragile in the environment at the center of a nova, so being blown out of the environment at the center is necessary for the observation of lithium. The beryllium was produced by the fusion of
helium-3 with helium-4.
Nucleosynthesis of lithium is important in the study of chemical abundances in the universe.[7]