The Book of Later Han gives the following description:In the 2nd year of the epoch Zhongping [中平], the 10th month, on the day Guihai [癸亥] [December 7, Year 185], a 'guest star' appeared in the middle of the Southern Gate [南門] [an asterism consisting of ε Centauri and α Centauri], The size was half a bamboo mat. It displayed various colors, both pleasing and otherwise. It gradually lessened. In the 6th month of the succeeding year it disappeared.
RCW 86 is considered the remnant of SN 185. It was most likely a Type Ia supernova and in distance and in visual terms it is similar to Tycho's Supernova 1572 and had a similar magnitude estimated at -4 as they both were at a similar distance.
I also find it quite interesting that the Chinese astronomers recorded that it displayed various colors, seen to the naked eye and they were pleasing.
2. SN 386. Actually the image lists G11.02.-03 as the SNR. This article from 2018 LINK in Sky & Telescope states that G11.02.-03 cannot be the SNR for SN 386 because it is shown that the supernova that caused that remnant was not visible. Astronomers now say that G7.7.-3.7 is the actual remnant. SN 386 occurred in the constellation of Sagittarius.
The article states:
"The historical text Song Shu (states): “During the third month of the eleventh year of the Tai-Yuan reign-period of the Jin dynasty, there was a guest star at Nan-Dou until the sixth month, when it was extinguished.”
3. SN 393. To quote from Wikipedia on this one:
An extracted record of this astronomical event was translated into English as follows:
A guest star appeared within the asterism Wěi during the second lunar month of the 18th year of the Tai-Yuan reign period, and disappeared during the ninth lunar month.
— Shen Yue, Song Shu[2]
The second lunar month mentioned in the record corresponds to the period 27 February to 28 March 393 CE, while the ninth lunar month ran from 22 October to 19 November 393 CE. The bowl-shaped asterism named Wěi is formed by the tail of the modern constellation Scorpius. This asterism consists of the stars in Scorpius designated ε, μ, ζ, η, θ, ι, κ, λ and ν. The guest star reached an estimated apparent magnitude of −1 and was visible for about eight months before fading from sight, whose lengthy duration suggests the source was a supernova
SNR G347.3–00.5 has been suggested as a possible SNR for SN 393. Further study have shown that SNR RX J1713.7-3946 as a better candidate. The progenitor has a mass of about 15 solar masses and was most likely a Type II or Type Ib supernova.
4. SN 1006 reached a magnitude of -7.6, about sixteen times greater than Venus and was seen in China, Japan, modern day Iran, Egypt, Europe and probably in North America. It is most likely the result of a Type Iax supernova, the merger of two white dwarfs. SNR G327.6+14.6 is considered the remnant of this SN.
The follow are descriptions of the supernova.
"Egyptian astrologer and astronomer Ali ibn Ridwan, writing in a commentary on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, stated that the "spectacle was a large circular body, 21⁄2 to 3 times as large as Venus. The sky was shining because of its light."
Another from a monastery in Switzerland.
"The most northerly sighting is recorded in the Annales Sangallenses maiores of the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland, at a latitude of 47.5° north.[6] Monks at St. Gall provided independent data as to its magnitude and location in the sky, writing that
"[i]n a wonderful manner this was sometimes contracted, sometimes diffused, and moreover sometimes extinguished ... It was seen likewise for three months in the inmost limits of the south, beyond all the constellations which are seen in the sky"
From what is now modern Iran:
"In The Book of Healing, Iranian philosopher Ibn Sina reported observing this supernova from northeastern Iran. He reported it as a transient celestial object which was stationary and/or tail-less (a star among the stars), that it remained for close to 3 months getting fainter and fainter until it disappeared, that it threw out sparks, that is, it was scintillating and very bright, and that the color changed with time."
From China:
"According to Songshi, the official history of the Song dynasty (sections 56 and 461), the star seen on May 1, 1006, appeared to the south of constellation Di, between Lupus and Centaurus. It shone so brightly that objects on the ground could be seen at night."
Reports show that it shown brightly for 3 months, faded and then regain its luster for 18 months.
5. SN 1056 and it's remnant is today known as Messier 1, the Crab Nebula. This supernova was first observed on c. 10 July [O.S. c. 4 July] 1054, and remained visible until c. 12 April [O.S. c. 6 April], for 1056, for almost two years. This is probably the most recorded supernova from the past. It is a Type II and was easily seen throughout the world. Wikipedia has a wonderful capture of the account from various cultures regarding this guest star LINK and I invite you to read them and gather details from the written account.
Here is a simulation of what it may have looked like in the night sky.
6. SN 1181: First observed between August 4 and August 6, 1181, Chinese and Japanese astronomers recorded the supernova now known as SN 1181 in eight separate texts. One of only five supernovae in the Milky Way confidently identified in pre-telescopic records, it appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia and was visible and motionless against the fixed stars for 185 days. F. R. Stephenson first recognized that the 1181 AD "guest star" must be a supernova, because such a bright transient that lasts for 185 days and does not move in the sky can only be a galactic supernova.
PA 30 is the SNR for this supernova. It was discovered in 2013 by American amateur astronomer Dana Patchick while searching for planetary nebulae in WISE infrared data. Further studies by astronomers show this is a SNR and its position links directly to Chinese texts on where in the night sky near Cassiopeia is was seen. Read the article here on it LINK 1 and LINK 2.
It is known as the dandelion nebula as you can see in this image.
7. SN 1572 (Tycho's Star, Tycho's Nova, Tycho's Supernova), or B Cassiopeiae (B Cas), was a supernova of Type Ia in the constellation Cassiopeia. It appeared in early November 1572. The more reliable contemporary reports state that the new star itself burst forth soon after November 2, 1572 and by November 11 it was already brighter than Jupiter. Around November 16, 1572, it reached its peak brightness at about magnitude −4.0, with some descriptions giving it as equal to Venus when that planet was at its brightest. Contrarily, Brahe described the supernova as "brighter than Venus". The supernova remained visible to the naked eye into early 1574, gradually fading until it disappeared from view.
The supernova remnant of B Cas was discovered in the 1960s by scientists with a Palomar Mountain telescope as a very faint nebula. It was later photographed by a telescope on the international ROSAT spacecraft. The supernova has been confirmed as Type Ia,in which a white dwarf star has accreted matter from a companion until it approaches the Chandrasekhar limit and explodes. This type of supernova does not typically create the spectacular nebula more typical of Type II supernovas, such as SN 1054 which created the Crab Nebula.
8. SN 1604, also known as Kepler's Supernova, Kepler's Nova or Kepler's Star, was a Type Ia supernova that occurred in the Milky Way, in the constellation Ophiuchus. Appearing in 1604, it is the most recent supernova in the Milky Way galaxy to have been unquestionably observed by the naked eye, occurring no farther than 6 kiloparsecs (20,000 light-years) from Earth. Before the adoption of the current naming system for supernovae, it was named for Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer who described it in De Stella Nova.
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. Records of its sighting exist in European, Chinese, Korean, and Arabic sources.
It was the second supernova to be observed in a generation (after SN 1572 seen by Tycho Brahe in Cassiopeia). No further supernovae have since been observed with certainty in the Milky Way, though many others outside the galaxy have been seen since S Andromedae in 1885. SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud was visible to the naked eye at night.
Evidence exists for two Milky Way supernovae whose electromagnetic radiation would have reached Earth c. 1680 and 1870 – Cassiopeia A, and G1.9+0.3 respectively. There is no historical record of either having been detected in those years, likely because absorption by interstellar dust obscured their visible light.
Research shows this was a Type Ia supernova.
9. Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation Cassiopeia and the brightest extrasolar radio source in the sky at frequencies above 1 GHz. The expanding cloud of material left over from the supernova now appears approximately 10 light-years (3 pc) across from Earth's perspective. It has been seen in wavelengths of visible light with amateur telescopes down to 234 mm (9.25 in) with filters. I myself have observed this SNR several times in my 14' and 17.5" dobs.
10. G1.9+0.3 is a supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is the youngest-known SNR in the Milky Way, resulting from an explosion the light from which would have reached Earth some time between 1890 and 1908. The explosion was not seen from Earth as it was obscured by the dense gas and dust of the Galactic Center, where it occurred. The remnant's young age was established by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the VLA radio observatory. It was a type Ia supernova.
I wanted to share this information because it shows to me the wonders of our hobby. There is a lot of science behind these objects and a LOT to learn from them. It is and always will be my hope that I might, before I pass, observe a naked eye guest star and follow that up with an observation in my scope. I find it fascinating that the elements in our blood like iron, came from the destruction of a massive star that seeded the cosmos with iron that later was formed and used to create you and me. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this trip through these supernova and their SNR.
