SN 1181

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Supernova SN 1181

Observation data (Epoch ?)
Supernova type	unknown
Remnant type	{{{SNRtype}}}
Host Galaxy	Milky Way
Constellation	Cassiopeia
Right ascension	2h 2m
Declination	+64° 37′
Galactic coordinates	{{{gal}}}
Discovery Date	1181 UTC
Peak magnitude (V)	-1?
Physical characteristics
Progenitor	Unknown
Progenitor type	Unknown
Colour (B-V)	Unknown
Notable features	Visible at night for 185 days; perhaps led to the formation of a quark star?

First observed between August 4 and August 6, 1181, Chinese and Japanese astronomers recorded the supernova now known as SN 1181 in a total of 8 distinct and separate texts. One of only eight supernovae in the Milky Way observable with the naked eye in recorded history, it appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia and was visible in the night sky for about 185 days.

It is said that the twelfth century English scientist Alexander Neckham was aware of the supernova, and referred to it in his Liber Ymaginum Deorum. [1]

The radio source (and conjectured quark star) 3C58 is thought to be the remnant from this event. It revolves about 15 times per second, and beyond its status as one of the first stars found conjectured to be made of "quark matter" (aka strange matter), it is also notable because it is believed that it is still rotating about as quickly as it did when it first formed. This is in contrast to the neutron star at the heart of the Crab Nebula, known to be the remnant of the SN 1054 supernova in the year 1054, which has actually lost half its angular momentum in basically the same time span.