Tycho supernova remnant
Something in its aftermath.
Tycho supernova remnant from Chanda shows a pattern of bright clumps and fainter holes in the X-ray data.
In 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe was among those who noticed a new bright object in the constellation Cassiopeia. Adding fuel to the intellectual fire that Copernicus started, Tycho showed this "new star" was far beyond the Moon, and that it was possible for the Universe beyond the Sun and planets to change. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) was a nobleman from Denmark who made astronomy his life's work because he was so impressed , the Tycho supernova remnant and the very bright star, and open cluster of stars, King 1, first catalogued by Ivan King, in 1572, it was so bright that it was visible during the day. And though he wasn't the first or only person to observe this stellar spectacle, the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe wrote a book about his extensive observations of the event, gaining the honor of it being named after him. In modern times, astronomers have observed the debris field from this explosion - what is now known as Tycho's supernova remnant - using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Tycho Brahe was walking home from his laboratory on November 11, 1572 when his attention was attracted by the star in the constellation of Cassiopeia which was as bright as Jupiter and had not been visible before. Tycho wrote the following description (from Burnham’s Celestial Handbook):
"On the 11th day of November in the evening after sunset, I was contemplating the stars in a clear sky. I noticed that a new and unusual star, surpassing the other stars in brilliancy, was shining almost directly above my head; and since I had, from boyhood, known all the stars of the heavens perfectly, it was quite evident to me that there had never been any star in that place of the sky, even the smallest, to say nothing of a star so conspicuous and bright as this. I was so astonished of this sight that I was not ashamed to doubt the trustworthiness of my own eyes. Most people assume that because the supernova of 1604 was named after Kepler, that he must have been the first to see it. However, historical reports indicate that the supernova was first seen in northern Italy on the evening of October 9, 1604, and by the Chinese and Koreans during the next few days. In Prague, an independent sighting was made on October 10th through a break in the clouds, by J. Brunowski, who reported the sighting to Kepler. Cloudy weather in Prague prevented Kepler from observing the object until the evening of October 17th. Kepler observed the newly visible star over the course of a year, and in 1606 published a detailed account in his book – De Stella Nova.
Tycho supernova remnant from Chanda shows a pattern of bright clumps and fainter holes in the X-ray data.
In 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe was among those who noticed a new bright object in the constellation Cassiopeia. Adding fuel to the intellectual fire that Copernicus started, Tycho showed this "new star" was far beyond the Moon, and that it was possible for the Universe beyond the Sun and planets to change. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) was a nobleman from Denmark who made astronomy his life's work because he was so impressed , the Tycho supernova remnant and the very bright star, and open cluster of stars, King 1, first catalogued by Ivan King, in 1572, it was so bright that it was visible during the day. And though he wasn't the first or only person to observe this stellar spectacle, the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe wrote a book about his extensive observations of the event, gaining the honor of it being named after him. In modern times, astronomers have observed the debris field from this explosion - what is now known as Tycho's supernova remnant - using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Tycho Brahe was walking home from his laboratory on November 11, 1572 when his attention was attracted by the star in the constellation of Cassiopeia which was as bright as Jupiter and had not been visible before. Tycho wrote the following description (from Burnham’s Celestial Handbook):
"On the 11th day of November in the evening after sunset, I was contemplating the stars in a clear sky. I noticed that a new and unusual star, surpassing the other stars in brilliancy, was shining almost directly above my head; and since I had, from boyhood, known all the stars of the heavens perfectly, it was quite evident to me that there had never been any star in that place of the sky, even the smallest, to say nothing of a star so conspicuous and bright as this. I was so astonished of this sight that I was not ashamed to doubt the trustworthiness of my own eyes. Most people assume that because the supernova of 1604 was named after Kepler, that he must have been the first to see it. However, historical reports indicate that the supernova was first seen in northern Italy on the evening of October 9, 1604, and by the Chinese and Koreans during the next few days. In Prague, an independent sighting was made on October 10th through a break in the clouds, by J. Brunowski, who reported the sighting to Kepler. Cloudy weather in Prague prevented Kepler from observing the object until the evening of October 17th. Kepler observed the newly visible star over the course of a year, and in 1606 published a detailed account in his book – De Stella Nova.
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