Supernova 1054 – Creation of the Crab Nebula

On July 4, 1054 A.D., Chinese astronomers noted a guest star in the

constellation Taurus.

This star was perhaps about as bright as the Full Moon

(at least, however, about mag -6), and visible in daylight for 23 days.

It was probably also recorded by Anasazi Indian artists (in present-day

Arizona and New Mexico), as findings in Navaho Canyon and White Mesa (both AZ)

as well as in the Chaco Canyon National Park (NM) indicate;

there’s a review of the research on the

Chaco Canyon Anazasi art online, including the full-size version of our

photo, which was obtained by Ron Lussier.

In 1990, Ralph Robert Robbins of the University of Texas announced the

discovery of additional records in pottery of the Mimbres Indians of

New Mexico. The plate probably representing the supernova is e.g. shown on

page 68 of Robert Garfinkle’s book

Star Hopping.

As the author lines out, the art style of this plate was used only before

1100 A.D., and carbon-14 dating indicates that this plate was created

between 1050 and 1070 AD, so that very probably the supernova is depicted,

as a 23-rayed star.

According to Burnham, the Chinese records were translated by J.J. Duyvendak

(1942):

“.. 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

.. After more than a year, it gradually became invisible ..”

It is this date which is July 4, 1054 AD. Burnham speculates that the term

“inches” may indicate that the position was taking on a celestial globe or

armillary sphere, and not in the actual sky, which may explain the “wrong”

direction, as in the heavens, M1 is situated north-west of Zeta Tauri.

A later reference [in Sung hui-yao by Chang Te-hsiang], according to

Burnham, states:

.. During the third month in the first year of the Chia-yu reign period

[March 19 – April 17, 1056] the Director of the Astronomical Bureau said,

`The Guest Star has become invisible, ehich is an omen of the departure of

the guest’. Originally, during the fifth month of the first year of the

Chih-ho reign period, it appeared in the morning in the east guarding

T’ien-Kuan. It was visible in the day like Venus, with pointed rays in all

four directions. The color was reddish-white… It was seen altogether for

23 days. (as a daylight object).

The Supernova 1054 was later also assigned the variable star designation

CM Tauri. It is one of few

historically observed supernovae in our

Milky Way Galaxy.

The remnant of this supernova is the famous