The Science Quiz | Remembering a star that was briefly the brightest…

Questions:

1. This star has gone by the names 1ES 1727-21.4, GCRV 67121, and PN G004.5+06.8, among others. But before the modern era, it was known simply as X’s star, after a German astronomer who described its appearance in a 1606 book. Name X.

2. The book (from Q1) had the extended title ‘On the New Star in the Foot of the Serpent Handler’. This was because the star was located in a constellation called Serpentarius in Latin. Its common name is _________, from the Greek. Fill in the blank.

3. This star became famous in 1604 when it went supernova, producing light of such intensity that it remains the most recent Milky Way supernova confirmed to have been visible to the naked eye. But in its time, it was the second such star in 32 years. Name the first.

4. What type of supernova (from Q3) explosion did the star undergo? Hint: Astronomers routinely use such supernovae as “standard candles” because they emit a fixed amount of light at their peak, and thus indicate how far away they are.

5. Name the German astrologer with whom X (from Q1) had debated the features and causes of the supernova event, including the Copernican theory that the Sun, not the earth, was at the centre of the universe.

Visual:

Identify the astronomer in this picture and specify the question number with whose answer he is connected. Credit: Public domain

Answers:

1. Kepler

2. Ophiuchus

3. Tycho’s Nova, SN 1572

4. Type Ia supernova

5. Helisaeus Roeslin

Visual: Tycho Brahe, Q3