Galactic Extinction: How Many Novae Does it Hide and How Does it Affect
  the Galactic Nova Rate?
  There is a longstanding discrepancy between the observed Galactic classical
nova rate of $\sim 10$ yr$^{-1}$ and the predicted rate from Galactic models of
$\sim 30$--50 yr$^{-1}$. One explanation for this discrepancy is that many
novae are hidden by interstellar extinction, but the degree to which dust can
obscure novae is poorly constrained. We use newly available all-sky
three-dimensional dust maps to compare the brightness and spatial distribution
of known novae to that predicted from relatively simple models in which novae
trace Galactic stellar mass. We find that only half ($\sim 48$\%) of novae are
expected to be easily detectable ($g \lesssim 15$) with current all-sky optical
surveys such as the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN). This
fraction is much lower than previously estimated, showing that dust does
substantially affect nova detection in the optical. By comparing complementary
survey results from ASAS-SN, OGLE-IV, and the Palomar Gattini IR-survey in the
context of our modeling, we find a tentative Galactic nova rate of $\sim 40$
yr$^{-1}$, though this could decrease to as low as $\sim 30$ yr$^{-1}$
depending on the assumed distribution of novae within the Galaxy. These
preliminary estimates will be improved in future work through more
sophisticated modeling of nova detection in ASAS-SN and other surveys.
