2004ApJ...612..867W

As part of an ongoing program to determine the stellar population of novae, a multiepoch Hα survey of the late-type spiral galaxy M33 has been completed. The survey yielded a total of six novae over eight observing seasons in the period between 1995 and 2002. A global nova rate of 2.5^+1.0_–0.7/yr is found, which corresponds to a luminosity-specific nova rate of 2.34±0.99x10^–10 L_☉, K_/yr when the K luminosity is calculated from a B-K color, or 2.17±0.89x10^–10 L_☉, K_/yr when using the most recent Two Micron All Sky Survey data. Our derived nova rate is significantly different from the previously published rates of 4.6±0.9 and 0.45/yr by Della Valle et al. and Sharov, respectively. When galaxies with measured nova rates are compared, it appears that the Magellanic Clouds (and possibly M87) may have somewhat higher luminosity-specific nova rates than those of M33 and other galaxies. Nevertheless, given the uncertainty in the measured nova rates, we find no compelling evidence that the luminosity-specific nova rate varies strongly or systematically with the Hubble type of the galaxy.