Nova and supernova are characterized by the universe, which results in a large amount of brightness. A nova is noted to be a star that suddenly shines and returns back to its average light after weeks or even years at times. Supernova, on the other hand, is a scarce celestial occurrence whereby many of the materials in a star explodes and results in a short-lived, but the very bright object which emits a large amount of energy. The main thing that distinguished a nova from a supernova is that in a supernova, so much object mass is released when the explosion occurs.
This mass, when measured is more than the ceremony from the sun. But in Nova, very less mass is released when compared with supernova. A supernova destroys the host star, but a nova does not. Also, a nova does not last long like a supernova. The scientists often discover Nova every year, but they detect a supernova like once in fifty years.