Part of sudden ovation is for the star (4)
I believe the answer is:
nova
'the star' is the definition.
(nova is a kind of star)
'part of sudden ovation is' is the wordplay.
'part of' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'NOVA' is hidden within 'sudden ovation is'.
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for nova that I've seen before include "Suddenly expanding star" , "Sudden light increase" , "Star that suddenly becomes brighter for a time" , "Star that becomes much brighter for short time" , "Star showing a sudden, brief increase in luminosity" .)