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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| Online-Zugang: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.10728 |
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| _version_ | 1866908366788362240 |
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| author | Yang, Boshun Vogt, Nikolaus Hoffmann, Susanne M |
| author_facet | Yang, Boshun Vogt, Nikolaus Hoffmann, Susanne M |
| contents | The 1408 CE "guest star" recorded in Chinese historical texts presents a compelling case for identifying a historical stellar transient. While previous studies debated its nature as a meteor, comet, or nova, we re-evaluate the event using original Ming Dynasty records, including a newly found memorial from the imperial court. The object, described as stationary for over ten days, yellow, and luminous (resembling a "Zhou Bo virtue star"), is inconsistent with cometary behavior. Positional analysis locates it near the Niandao asterism (modern Cygnus-Vulpecula region) within the Milky Way, with a derived brightness of -4 to 0 mag. Light-curve stability over ten days and color descriptions align with a slow nova or a supernova. We cross-correlated the historical coordinates with modern catalogs and found a few possible counterparts. Among them, CK Vul - a luminous red nova remnant from 1670 to 1672 - is the most interesting candidate. Could its progenitor system have experienced a precursor classical nova eruption circa 1408 prior to the merger ~200 years later? We also examine cataclysmic variables and planetary nebulae within the 100 square-degree search field, though most lack sufficient brightness or age characteristics. This study emphasizes the value of integrating detailed historical records with contemporary astrophysical data to resolve long-standing controversies over ancient transients. The 1408 event likely represents a rare, well-documented nova, offering insights into pre-modern stellar phenomena and their modern counterparts. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_10728 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Was there a (super)nova in 1408? Yang, Boshun Vogt, Nikolaus Hoffmann, Susanne M Solar and Stellar Astrophysics The 1408 CE "guest star" recorded in Chinese historical texts presents a compelling case for identifying a historical stellar transient. While previous studies debated its nature as a meteor, comet, or nova, we re-evaluate the event using original Ming Dynasty records, including a newly found memorial from the imperial court. The object, described as stationary for over ten days, yellow, and luminous (resembling a "Zhou Bo virtue star"), is inconsistent with cometary behavior. Positional analysis locates it near the Niandao asterism (modern Cygnus-Vulpecula region) within the Milky Way, with a derived brightness of -4 to 0 mag. Light-curve stability over ten days and color descriptions align with a slow nova or a supernova. We cross-correlated the historical coordinates with modern catalogs and found a few possible counterparts. Among them, CK Vul - a luminous red nova remnant from 1670 to 1672 - is the most interesting candidate. Could its progenitor system have experienced a precursor classical nova eruption circa 1408 prior to the merger ~200 years later? We also examine cataclysmic variables and planetary nebulae within the 100 square-degree search field, though most lack sufficient brightness or age characteristics. This study emphasizes the value of integrating detailed historical records with contemporary astrophysical data to resolve long-standing controversies over ancient transients. The 1408 event likely represents a rare, well-documented nova, offering insights into pre-modern stellar phenomena and their modern counterparts. |
| title | Was there a (super)nova in 1408? |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.10728 |