New Insight into the Spatial Distribution of Novae in M31

Abstract

We use a Monte Carlo technique together with a simple model for the distribution of dust in M31 to investigate the observability and spatial distribution of classical novae in M31. By comparing our model positions of novae to the observed positions, we conclude that most M31 novae come from the disk population, rather than from the bulge population as has been thought. Our results indicate that the M31 bulge-to-disk nova ratio is as low as, or lower than, the M31 bulge-to-disk mass ratio. © 1997. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.