Today in the history of astronomy, a “guest star” lights up the day and night.
When the supernova that would later be called the Crab Nebula exploded in 1054, ancient astronomers around the world made records of it. Credt: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University)
- A supernova explosion occurred on July 4, 1054, resulting from the death of a star estimated to be nine to eleven times the Sun’s mass.
- The event was documented by astronomers in Japan, Korea, and the Arab world, and potentially depicted in Anasazi pictographs.
- Chinese astronomers recorded the supernova as a “guest star” visible for over a year, including 23 days of daytime visibility.
- The remnant of this supernova was named the Crab Nebula by William Parsons in 1844 and cataloged as M1 by Charles Messier in 1758.
On July 4, 1054, a supernova explosion occurred, marking the death of a star thought to be nine to 11 times more massive than our Sun. This event was observed and recorded around the ancient world, including by Japanese, Korean, and Arab astronomers. Anasazi Native American artists may have drawn a pictograph symbolizing the event in Chaco Canyon, as well, and Chinese observers called it “a guest star,” writing, “In the 1st year of the period Chih-ho, the 5th moon, the day chi-ch’ou, a guest star appeared approximately several inches south-east of Tien-Kuan [Zeta Tauri]. After more than a year, it gradually became invisible.” Appearing in the constellation Taurus, it was in fact visible during the day for 23 days and remained in the night sky for over a year, or 653 days. The remains of this star were named the Crab Nebula by William Parsons, Earl of Rosse, in 1844; it also became known as M1 after Charles Messier included it as the first entry in his famous catalog in 1758.
