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Credit & Copyright: Bradley E. Schaefer
Explanation:
One of the all-time historic skyscapes occured in July 1054, when the
Crab Supernova
blazed into the dawn sky.
Chinese court
astrologers
first saw the
Guest Star
on the morning of 4 July 1054
next to the star
Tianguan
(now cataloged as
Zeta Tauri).
The
supernova
peaked in late July 1054 a bit brighter than Venus,
and was visible in the daytime for 23 days.
The Guest Star was so bright that every culture around the world
inevitably discovered the supernova independently, although only nine
reports survive, including those from China,
Japan,
and
Constantinople.
This iPhone picture is from
Signal Hill
near Tucson on the morning of 26 July 2025,
faithfully re-creates the year 1054 Dawn of the Crab,
showing the sky as seen by
Hohokam peoples.
The planet Venus, as a stand-in for the
supernova,
is close to the position of what is now the
Crab Nebula supernova remnant.
Step outside on a
summer dawn with bright Venus, and ask yourself "What would you have
thought in ancient times when suddenly seeing the Dawn of the Crab?"
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day