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: Latest observed supernova, in the Milky Way ., Maintained naked-eye, visibility for 18 months.
Peak apparent magnitude: −2.25 to −2.5
Preceded by: SN 1572
Followed by: Cassiopeia A (unobserved, c. 1680 ), G1.9+0.3 (unobserved, c. 1868 ), SN 1885A (next observed)

via Wikipedia infobox

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Encyclopedic overview

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

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “SN 1604” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.