Astronomy Picture of the Day . GK Per: Nova of 1901 . ... 5.11.2011 . ... Lemmon SkyCenter , University of Arizona Explanation: Early in the 20th century, GK Persei briefly became one of the brightest stars in planet Earth's sky, an event known as Nova Persei 1901. Documented in this modern day composite of two images from 2003 and 2011 the ejecta from the explosion, popularly called the Firework Nebula, continues to expand into space. ... November 2011 . ... Publications with keywords: nova . ...