SN 1604
Also known as Kepler's Supernova
supernova visible from Earth in the 17th century
Key facts
- Event type
- Supernova
- Date
- 8–9 October 1604
- Right ascension
- 17 30 42
- Declination
- −21 ° 29 ′
- Epoch
- J2000
- Galactic coordinates
- G4.5+6.8
- Distance
- Less than 20,000 light-years (6.1 kpc )
- Remnant
- Shell
- Host
- Milky Way
- Progenitor
- White dwarf – red giant double star system
- Progenitor type
- Type Ia supernova
- Colour b v
- Unknown
- Notable features
~7 min read
Article
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.
Observation