Appearance of SN 1006

Date: April 30, 1006 • Location: Beijing, China

SN 1006, the brightest supernova in recorded history, first appeared in the constellation Lupus.

SN 1006 was a supernova that is likely the brightest observed stellar event in recorded history, reaching an estimated −7.5 visual magnitude, and exceeding roughly sixteen times the brightness of Venus. First noted in 1006 some time between April 15 and May 1 in the constellation of Lupus, this "guest star" was described by observers across China, Japan, modern-day Iraq, Egypt, and Europe, and was possibly recorded in North American petroglyphs. Some reports state it was clearly visible in the daytime. Modern astronomers now consider its distance from Earth to be about 7,200 light-years or 2,200 parsecs.