Astronomers have detailed in a new study what caused a bright light to appear in the night sky for six months back in 1181.
Astronomers have detailed in a new study what the bright cosmic object was that lit up the sky over Japan and China back in 1181.
Historians and astronomers have been attempting to find an answer for what contemporary astronomers recorded seeing in the sky in 1181. According to accounts from these astronomers, onlookers of the sky saw a bright light that resembled the same brightness level as Saturn.
This bright light remained in the night sky for six months, according to historical accounts of the event. Now the mastery of the bright light in the sky may be uncovered as a new study has tracked a cosmic event back to around 1181.
The study hones in on a nebula called Pa 30, or Parker's Star. This nebula has one of the hottest stars in the Milky Way, and according to astronomers, the nebula is producing a gas cloud that is expanding 684 miles every second. Rewinding time, astronomers have traced the expansion of the cloud to an event that happened around 1,000 years ago.
Astrophysicist Albert Zijlstra from the University of Manchester in the UK said, "The historical reports place the guest star between two Chinese constellations, Chuanshe and Huagai. Parker's Star fits the position well. That means both the age and location fit with the events of 1181."