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posted by takyon on Thursday August 31 2017, @12:13AM   Printer-friendly
from the now-where-did-I-put-my-astrophysics? dept.

Seems that astronomers have located the nova remnant of a star that exploded some 600 years ago.

According to Space.com:

After decades of hunting, astronomers have tracked down the origin of a nova first recorded by Korean royal astrologers nearly 600 years ago.

Evidently, Korean records are slightly different than more recent Western ones:

When the researchers first looked about three decades ago where the records seemed to say the nova was, they could not find it: "It turns out we were looking in the wrong place," Shara said. "When it comes to analyzing ancient records, it can be a challenge interpreting them correctly."

Of course, what is more interesting, is that a Nova Stella, a new star that is clearly visible, was recorded in Korea, but not in Europe. A similar situation exists with the "guest star" that resulted in the Crab Nebula, which exploded in 1054, and was recorded by Chinese astronomers. This was a supernova, and the star was so bright it could be seen during daylight, but no mention of it exists in European records.

Aristotelian doctrine, and that of the Church, was that the Heavens were unchanging, so comets were very disturbing, and new stars so unthinkable that they could not be seen? And it was Tycho Brahe and Kepler's discovery of Stella Novae that set the stage for modern astronomy.

Other coverage, including info on "dwarf nova" erupting at the same system.

Proper-motion age dating of the progeny of Nova Scorpii AD 1437 (DOI: 10.1038/nature23644) (DX)


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  • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday August 31 2017, @04:37AM (3 children)

    by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday August 31 2017, @04:37AM (#561961) Journal

    I take it that you are not Italian?

    Starting Score:    1  point
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    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday August 31 2017, @08:53AM (2 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday August 31 2017, @08:53AM (#562023) Journal

    This is how you should take it, indeed.
    (how many time I boasted my East-European former-communist country of origin?)

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday August 31 2017, @09:05AM (1 child)

      by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday August 31 2017, @09:05AM (#562026) Journal

      You know, if you can't just say "Hungary", people would think you have something to hide. On the other hand, if you are Czech, well those bastard should have done it in '69, when they had the chance. On the other, other hand, what is an Italian, but a Balkan on the wrong side of the sea? And given your mystical propensities, well, Croatian? No. Why, oh why, c0lo, do you make us guess so?

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday August 31 2017, @12:03PM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday August 31 2017, @12:03PM (#562071) Journal

        You know, if you can't just say "Hungary", people would think you have something to hide.

        The correct expression is "Having something to keep private"

        On the other hand, if you are Czech, well those bastard should have done it in '69, when they had the chance.

        They should, they couldn't tho. Too close to Austria and Germany, USSR would have lost face.

        On the other, other hand, what is an Italian, but a Balkan on the wrong side of the sea?

        Turns out that it makes all the difference. They got to keep their language, the mountains and the sea thinned the barbarian invasions to an assimilable limit.

        And given your mystical propensities, well, Croatian?

        I'll let aside I don't have inclination towards mysticism, just some occasional experiences and respect for it.
        Anyway, mystics are quite common in the region, nothing so special from where I came.
        If it would be the mysticism alone, I might have came from Persia (Whirling Dervishes) or India; the latter have so many, even the Chinese got to import something from them (I always liked the Wu Cheng'en's story). Of course, those aren't East European.

        Speaking about mysticism, when was the last time you visited Meteora?

        Why, oh why, c0lo, do you make us guess so?

        A bit of mystery doesn't hurt.
        At the very least, the existence/acceptance of mystery (in general) should make people less sure about their answers, less inclined to see themselves as the pinnacle of intelligent life, of being always right even when they are wrong (which is most of the time.) Just look where the attitude led the Americans into, got quite close to "The 21st century will be religious or it will not be at all".

        I'm convinced you can grok that.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford