SN 1006

SN 1006 was a supernova that was probably the brightest stellar event in recorded history.[1]

Remnant of the explosion

It got to about −7.5 visual magnitude, more than sixteen times the brightness of Venus. This "guest star" was described by observers across China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt, and the continent of Europe. Modern astronomers now think its distance from Earth was about 7,200 light-years.

It was likely a white dwarf star that had been pulling matter off an orbiting companion star. When the white dwarf mass exceeded the stability limit (known as the Chandrasekhar limit), it exploded.

References

"Astronomers Peg Brightness of History's Brightest Star" (Press release). National Optical Astronomy Observatory. 2003-03-05. Archived from the original on 2003-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-12.

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[NOAO1-1] "Astronomers Peg Brightness of History's Brightest Star" (Press release). National Optical Astronomy Observatory. 2003-03-05. Archived from the original on 2003-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-12.