Imaging Stellar Cataclysms: Astronomy for the Impatient

Michael Rupen

Most astronomical sources change on timescales of thousands to millions of years, and studies of their evolution must rely on statistical or other indirect methods. By contrast, stellar outbursts -- the eruptions of cataclysmic variables, novae, supernovae, and the like -- can be followed in their entirety over years, months, or even days. These outbursts are interesting in themselves, but also offer insight into universal astronomical phenomena, such as the interplay between accretion and outflow. I will give a broad overview of radio studies of a wide range of stellar cataclysms, emphasizing the power of high-resolution imaging, and the exciting possibilities of both current and future instrumentation.