An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A hypothetical → transient event undergone by a → star due to its violent → merging with another star in a → close binary star. The release of → orbital energy causes the → envelope of the star to heat up and → inflate, causing the star to brighten considerably. Mergebursts are predicted to rival or exceed the brightest classical → novae in luminosity, but to be much cooler and redder than classical novae, and to become slowly hotter and bluer as they age.

→ merge; → burst.