HOW SN 1054 HAS BEEN EXPLAINED

A few theories have emerged over the years

A ‘GUEST STAR’

Chinese astronomers who observed what we know to be SN 1054 today referred to it as a ‘guest star’ because it appeared, faded and disappeared. It had “pointed rays in every direction,” according to records of the Song dynasty, and it was “reddish white”. It is not mentioned in any European records.

AN ELECTRON-CAPTURE SUPERNOVA EVENT

Having established SN 1054 as a supernova – hence its name – astronomers sought its true nature. In 1980, Nomato proposed an electron-capture supernova. SN 1054 was suspected to be of this type, and the latest research provides more evidence to support this.

A STELLAR EXPLOSION

The Crab Nebula was discovered by English astronomer John Bevis in 1731. It was speculatively identified as a supernova remnant in 1921. Edwin Hubble noted the speed at which it was growing, dated the origin back some 900 years and pinpointed the ‘guest star’ as the progenitor.