ON THE SPATIAL-DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE RATE OF GALACTIC CLASSICALNOVAE

We use a Monte Carlo technique, together with a simple model for the d istribution of dust in the Galaxy, to investigate the observability, s patial distribution and occurrence rate of Galactic classical novae. W e compare our model distributions of nova apparent magnitudes and posi tions on the sky to the corresponding distributions for observed class ical novae in an updated Version of the Duerbeck nova atlas. We conclu de that most Galactic novae come from the disc population, rather than from the bulge as is often assumed, and we estimate the nova rate to be 41 +/- 20 yr(-1). A suggestion for reducing the uncertainties in th e fraction of novae that is produced by the bulge, and in the nova rat e, is offered.