His name was Tycho Brahe , and in 1572 he gazed in awe in the sky at what he assumed to be a bright new star, which remained visible for 16 months in broad daylight and then disappeared. Four centuries later, a team of astrophysicists has just shown that what Brahe saw was a common supernova , that is, a thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf star accompanied by a celestial body.
As published today in the journal Nature by an international team headed by Oliver Krause, from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, for the discovery they have used a galactic cloud as if it were an interstellar "mirror" , which has allowed them to analyze the light that it passed through Earth in the 16th century. By studying its wavelength, they have determined for the first time the exact type to which that supernova belonged.
The fact is of great historical importance, since that supposed star that did not move with respect to the Moon inspired Brahe to observe the sky more, thus starting a career of detailed observations that helped found modern astronomy , according to Michael. Shank, a professor of history of science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
