Kepler's Supernova

SN 1604
	A false-color composite (CXO/HST/Spitzer Space Telescope) image of the supernova remnant nebula from SN 1604
Event type	Supernova
	Ia
Date	8–9 October 1604
Right ascension	17h 30m 42s
Declination	−21° 29′
Epoch	J2000
Galactic coordinates	G4.5+6.8
Distance	Less than 20,000 light-years (6.1 kpc)
Remnant	Shell
Host	Milky Way
Progenitor	White dwarf–red giant double star system
Progenitor type	Type Ia supernova
Colour (B-V)	Unknown
Notable features	Latest observed supernova; in the Milky Way.; Maintained naked-eye; visibility for 18 months.
Peak apparent magnitude	−2.25 to −2.5
Other designations	1ES 1727-21.4, 3C 358, ESO 588-4, GCRV 67121, HR 6515, IRAS 17276-2126, MRC 1727-214, PK 004+06 1, PN G004.5+06.8, 1RXS J173040.4-212836, SN 1604A, IRAS Z17276-2126, SN 1604, AJG 71, CSI-21-17276, CTB 41, Kes 57, MSH 17-2-11, OHIO T -246, PKS 1727-21, PKS 1727-214, PKS J1730-2129, [PBD2003] G004.5+06.8
Preceded by	SN 1572
Followed by	Cassiopeia A (unobserved, c. 1680), G1.9+0.3 (unobserved, c. 1868), SN 1885A (next observed)
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	[edit on Wikidata]

SN 1604, also known as Kepler's Supernova, Kepler's Nova or Kepler's Star, was a Type Ia supernova^[1]^[2] that occurred in the Milky Way, in the constellation Ophiuchus. Appearing in 1604, it is the most recent supernova in the Milky Way galaxy to have been unquestionably observed by the naked eye,^[3] occurring no farther than 6 kiloparsecs (20,000 light-years) from Earth. Before the adoption of the current naming system for supernovae, it was named for Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer who described it in De Stella Nova.

^ ^a ^b "Chandra X-Ray Observatory". Kepler's Supernova Remnant: A Star's Death Comes to Life. Retrieved 16 January 2006.
^ ^a ^b Reynolds, S. P.; Borkowski, K. J.; Hwang, U.; Hughes, J. P.; Badenes, C.; Laming, J. M.; Blondin, J. M. (2 October 2007). "A Deep Chandra Observation of Kepler's Supernova Remnant: A Type Ia Event with Circumstellar Interaction". The Astrophysical Journal. 668 (2): L135–L138. arXiv:0708.3858. Bibcode:2007ApJ...668L.135R. doi:10.1086/522830.
^ "APOD: 2013 May 15 - Kepler's Supernova Remnant in X-Rays". NASA.gov. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2024.