Supernova

:For information about the 2000 movie, see Supernova (movie).

Notable supernovae

Be aware that the years listed are only the years in which the supernovae were first observed on Earth. The supernovae themselves are at distances hundreds or thousands of light years from Earth, varying how long it took for the light of each supernova to reach it.

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• 1006 – SN 1006 – Extremely bright supernova; accounts found in Egypt, Iraq, Italy, Switzerland, China, Japan, and possibly France and Syria
• 1054 – SN 1054 – the formation of the Crab Nebula, recorded by Chinese astronomers and possibly by Native Americans
• 1181 – SN 1181 – Recorded by Chinese and Japanese astronomers, supernova in Cassiopeia most likely left as its remnant the strange star 3C 58.
• 1572 – SN 1572 – Supernova in Cassiopeia, observed by Tycho Brahe, whose book De Nova Stella on the subject gives us the word "nova"
• 1604 – SN 1604 – Supernova in Ophiuchus, observed by Johannes Kepler; latest supernova to be observed in the Milky Way
• 1885 – S Andromedae in the Andromeda Galaxy, discovered by Ernst Hartwig
• 1987 – Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud, observed within hours of its start, it was the first opportunity for modern theories of supernova formation to be tested against observations.
• – Cassiopeia A – Supernova in Cassiopeia, not observed on Earth, but estimated to be ~300 years old. Is the brightest remnant in the radio band.

The 1604 supernova was used by Galileo as evidence against the Aristotelian dogma of his period, that the heavens never changed.

Related Topics:
Galileo - Aristotelian

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Supernovae often leave behind supernova remnants; the study of these objects has helped to increase our knowledge of supernovae.

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