Supernovae observed in the Milky Way: Historical Supernovae -

Supernovae observed in the Milky Way:

Historical Supernovae

Similar to other galaxies (including the

Messier galaxies), there occur supernovae in our

Milky Way at irregular intervals of time.

If they are not too heavily obscurred by interstellar matter, they can be seen

as very spectacular events in the sky. Unfortunately, though, none of them has

been well visible since the invention of the telescope, although modern

estimates predict that every few decades one supernova should occur in a galaxy

like the Milky Way.

Here we list the supernovae (sometimes only candidates, indicated by question

marks) which have been recorded through the history of humanity.


Year    Date    Con      mag     Remnant    Observed/Comments



2241 BC ??       ?       -10                Dubiously listed in some source

 352 BC ?                                   Chinese; "first such record" according to Hellemans/Bunch

 185 AD         Cen       -2     SNR 185    Chinese

 369 ?                                      Chinese

 386 ?                                      Chinese

 393/396        Tau       -3     SNR 393    Chinese

 437 ?          Gem

 827 ?          Sco/Oph  -10

 902 ?          Cas        0

1006    Apr 30  Lup       -9+-1  SNR 1006   Arabic; also Chinese, Japanese, European

1054    Jul 4   Tau       -6     M1         Chinese, North American (?); also Arab, Japan

1181            Cas       -1     3C 58      Chinese and Japanese

1203 ?          Sco        0

1230 ?          Aql

1572    Nov 6   Cas       -4     Tycho SNR  Tycho Brahe's SN

1604    Oct 9   Oph       -3     Kepler SNR Johannes Kepler's SN

1667?           Cas              Cas A      Flamsteed ? not seen ?

Key:

Year/Date: Time of observation/occurrance,

Con: Constellation,

mag: estimated apparent magnitude in brightness maximum,

Remnant: Identification of the supernova remnant

Restricting to the more or less safe supernova events, this table reduces

significantly, most probably because of poor recording of our ancestors, to

only 8 supernovae, one of which (185 AD) was even questioned recently:


Year    Date    Con  RA      Dec    mag    Comment/SNR



 185 AD         Cen  14:43.1 -62:28 -2     (-6 mag acc. to Sky Catalog 2000)

 393/396        Tau  17:14   -39.8  -3                

1006    Apr 30  Lup  15:02.8 -41:57 -9+-1  SNR

1054    Jul 4   Tau  05:34.5 +22:01 -6     M1

1181            Cas  02:05.6 +64:49 -1     3C 58      Chinese and Japanese

1572    Nov 6   Cas  00:25.3 +64:09 -4     Tycho  

1604    Oct 9   Oph  17:30.6 -21:29 -3     Kepler 

1667?           Cas  23:23.4 +58:50  6?    Cas A SN

A notable event with some similarity to a supernova occurred with the star

Eta Carinae in 1843, when it brightened

to mag -0.8 and became the second brightest star in the heavens after Sirius,

although it is at the great distance of 10,000 light years.

Only two supernovae have been discovered in other galaxies of the

Local Group: SN 1885 or S Andromedae in the

Andromeda Galaxy M31, and

SN 1987A in the

Large Magellanic Cloud.