1604 – Supernova 1604 first observed

9 October – On this day

Supernova 1604, also known as Kepler’s Supernova, Kepler’s Nova or Kepler’s Star, was a supernova that occurred in the Milky Way, in the constellation Ophiuchus.

Appearing in 1604, it is the most recent supernova to have been unquestionably observed by the naked eye in our own galaxy, occurring no farther than 6 kiloparsecs or about 20,000 light-years from Earth. Visible to the naked eye, Kepler’s Star was brighter at its peak than any other star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of −2.5. It was visible during the day for over three weeks.

Rod

I am an ex-teacher having taught Ancient and Modern History, Social Science and Computing (weird combo ... hey) in the NSW (Australian) education system. I completed my degree at the same time as Maxx, but majored more in Modern History and Political Science before doing a Graduate Dip. Ed. and teaching. I have a strong interest in military history (all periods) but love reading about all aspects of history (you might call me a history junkie). I believe learning should be a life long pursuit and that the study of history is integral to the development of a mature, modern 'thinking' and 'questioning' society.

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October 9, 2015

17th Century, Astronomy, History, Nova, OTD

17th Century, Astronomy, Nova, OTD

One thought on “1604 – Supernova 1604 first observed”

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gonmrm
October 10, 2015 at 7:50 am

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Incredible! I did not know about the first Supernova ever to be recorded, really nice! Thanks for sharing that! Visit my blog, maybe you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed your post! https://thebeautyinspace.wordpress.com
Gonçalo

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