New analysis of medieval Arabic texts has revealed previously overlooked accounts of two significant supernova explosions, offering a clearer picture of the brilliant cosmic events that graced the skies in 1006 and 1181 AD. The findings, a result of interdisciplinary collaboration between astrophysicists and historians, underscore the meticulous observational skills of scholars in the Arab world during a period when European records of such phenomena were sparse. These historical documents provide independent confirmation for the supernova of 1006 and offer crucial new details about the location and nature of the less-understood supernova of 1181.
The research highlights the scientific value hidden within historical and even poetic manuscripts. For centuries, our knowledge of these powerful stellar explosions relied predominantly on records from East Asia. These newly interpreted Arabic accounts not only broaden the geographical scope of observation but also add descriptive richness, helping modern astronomers better understand the remnants of these thousand-year-old events. The discovery was largely serendipitous, with researchers uncovering the astronomical data while studying historical chronicles and poetry, demonstrating how humanities research can directly contribute to astrophysical knowledge.
The Brightest Star in Recorded History
The supernova of 1006, or SN 1006, is widely considered the most brilliant stellar event ever witnessed by humanity. One of the newly highlighted accounts comes from the 14th-century historian Ahmad ibn ‘Alī al-Maqrīzī, who drew upon the work of an earlier historian, al-Musabbihī. Al-Maqrīzī described a powerful “star with a tail” that appeared during a period of political upheaval. His chronicle states that the object “shone like the Moon with brightness and gleam” and that its light intensified for a period before fading over several months. This description of a bright, lingering object is highly consistent with a supernova explosion.
Further evidence comes from the celebrated Persian scholar Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna, who observed the event firsthand. In his work al-Shifa’, he describes a transient celestial object that remained visible for nearly three months. He noted that it was intensely bright, “threw out sparks,” and changed color over time before ultimately disappearing. Modern astronomers estimate SN 1006 reached a peak apparent magnitude of -7.5, making it brighter than any planet and easily visible in the daytime sky. Its position deep in the southern sky, in the modern constellation Lupus, meant it was a spectacular sight for observers in Arabia, Persia, and East Asia but was too low on the horizon for most of Europe, which is why few records exist from there.
A Poet’s Gaze Reveals a Stellar Explosion
While SN 1006 was well documented, the supernova of 1181 has remained more mysterious. For a long time, it was known only from Chinese and Japanese chronicles, which made pinpointing its exact location challenging. A breakthrough came from a surprising source: a poem written by Ibn Sanā’ al-Mulk to praise his patron, the Sultan Saladin. Researchers re-examined the poem, leading to a new dating of its composition and the realization that it contained a likely reference to SN 1181.
Celestial Praise
In his ode, the poet metaphorically connects the ruler’s greatness to an increase in the number of stars themselves. The crucial line states how the sky “adorned itself with a star; nay, it smiled through it, because whoever is delighted by a delightful thing smiles.” This poetic description of a new star appearing is now believed to be a direct observation of the supernova. Crucially, the account places the new star in a constellation that Arab astronomers referred to as ‘The Henna Painted Hand,’ which corresponds to the modern constellation of Cassiopeia. This new information provides a much more specific location for the event, helping astronomers study its remnant today. While not as dazzling as SN 1006, the supernova of 1181 would have been quite noticeable, reaching a magnitude of about 0 to +1, comparable to the brightness of Saturn or the star Vega.
Uniting History and Astrophysics
The discovery of these accounts was not the work of astronomers alone. It required a unique collaboration between scientists and experts in Arabic and Islamic studies. Scholars with deep knowledge of medieval Arabic manuscripts, like Jens Fischer and Heinz Halm, were the ones who first identified the potential astronomical references. Their ability to perform rigorous philological analysis—critically editing and interpreting the language of the historical texts—was essential for establishing the accuracy and context of the observations before they could be applied to astrophysics.
This interdisciplinary approach highlights a growing recognition that historical archives can serve as a valuable source of scientific data. Events like supernovae are exceedingly rare within our own galaxy; the last one visible to the naked eye, Kepler’s Star, occurred in 1604, just before the widespread use of the telescope. Lacking modern instruments to observe a galactic supernova directly, astronomers rely on the patient and detailed records of pre-telescopic sky-watchers to understand these events and their life cycles.
Impact on Modern Astronomy
These ancient observations have tangible benefits for science today. For SN 1006, the Arabic texts add to the global chorus of historical accounts that confirm its extreme brightness and duration, providing a richer dataset for modeling such powerful Type Ia supernovae. For SN 1181, the impact is more profound. The precise location derived from the Arabic poem allows astronomers to more confidently associate the event with a specific remnant, a nebula known as Pa 30, which surrounds a strange and extremely hot star called Parker’s Star.
This association is particularly exciting because SN 1181 is a candidate for a very rare subclass of explosion known as a Type Iax supernova. Unlike standard supernovae that completely obliterate the progenitor star, a Type Iax event is thought to be a partial explosion that leaves behind a “zombie star”—a remnant of the original white dwarf. The information from Ibn Sanā’ al-Mulk’s poem strengthens the link between SN 1181 and this nebula, providing a unique opportunity to study the aftermath of one of these unusual cosmic events. By combining medieval poetry with modern imaging, scientists can piece together a more complete history of the stars.
