A supernova first observed in the 16th century by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe has been sighted again, astronomers report. Brahe observed its direct light but "light echoes" from the supernova
that took a long detour around the universe have finally made it to Earth and have been captured by the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. The new observations confirm that the supernova was the explosion of a white dwarf star.
"Using light echoes in supernova remnants is time-traveling in a way, in that it allows us to go back hundreds of years to observe the first light from a supernova event," said Tomonori Usuda, lead project astronomer at Subaru [Space.com].
In November 1572, Brahe noted a new shimmer in the night sky and thought it was the birth of a new star. But the shimmer disappeared 16 months later and some claimed it was a comet. Only in the early 20th ...
