The nova cannon is one of the most powerful ship-borne weapons in the Imperial Navy, a titanic spinal gun that runs through the length of a warship and fires a shell of almost inconceivable destructive power. Unlike the broadside batteries of macro-cannons that trade fire at closer range, the nova cannon launches its munition across enormous distances, detonating in a blinding, star-bright explosion capable of crippling or destroying entire enemy vessels caught within its blast.
Such power is not without hazard. The nova cannon's shell travels for a long time before it reaches its target, so gunnery crews must predict where an enemy ship will be rather than where it is, making the weapon most deadly against slow or massed formations. A misjudged shot sails harmlessly into the void, and the immense forces involved in firing place great strain on the vessel that carries it.
Only the largest capital ships can mount a nova cannon, and those that do are prized assets of any fleet, able to shatter an enemy line before the battle is truly joined. The detonation, briefly rivalling the light of a small star, is among the most awesome sights of void warfare. To command a ship so armed is to wield the power to unmake an enemy's proudest vessels in a single, cataclysmic flash.