It is one of the few supernovae to be documented before the invention of telescopes. Ancient Star (Photo: Getty)
In the early 13th century, astronomers worldwide witnessed a rare celestial event: Then, after a few months, a bright Ancient Star ‘new star’ appeared in the night sky and vanished. The last of this star’s mysteries hanging for hundreds of years in the human psyche of what precipitated its disappearance, from supernova to supernatural events, resulted in a conjunction of theories and assumptions. Until recently, astrophysics has advanced enough to finally decode the real story of this ghost star, closing the gap on both ancient records and the vastness of our universe.
The Ancient Star Disappearance That Sparked a Mystery
Nine hundred years back, in 1217, scholars in China, Japan, and the Middle East dug up the sighting of a ‘guest star’ that sparkled for a few months before vanishing into thin air. The exact event was recorded in fine detail by Chinese astronomers who wrote about the place, brightness, and the ceasing of the celestial object. This was hardly the first such observation for early astronomers, but of this particular star there was none to be found — and the result was centuries of speculation.
In Short
- White dwarfs are completely destroyed in such events
- However, SN 1181 was a partial explosion called a Type Iax supernova
- Strange filaments emanated from the zombie star
With the modern telescopes and the sophisticated observational tools of today, astronomers of today may not know much more about that “vanishing star” than astronomers of today could know without modern telescopes. Because supernovae give the hint of temporary increases in brightness that can last for weeks or months, many thought it was a supernova, the explosive death of a massive star. However, they did not understand, why does there not any observable trace. But why didn’t this star leave any debris behind and fade so quickly?
A Glimpse into Our Cosmic Future
Our universe is enormous — every rare star that fades into the darkness, and every supernova that explodes is part of the story of our cosmos. The reappearance of the 800-year-old “guest star” in the form of Pa 30 serves to underline just how much there still is to be found. If it hits home that what seems momentary or trivial on Earth has cosmic significance, that should remind us. As technology progresses, it’s sure to uncover more of the mysteries of the far-distant past, adding to the detail of our knowledge of the universe we live in.Â
So, the next time you look up at the stars, remember: What we see now is just a pale little section of a big, big, bigger picture story, a story told over centuries, maybe millennia, a story that joins us with the ancient gazaers who looked at the heavens before us.
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