| Right Ascension | 2 : 06. (h:m) |
|---|---|
| Declination | +64 : 49 (deg:m) |
| Distance | (kly) |
| Visual brightness | 0 (mag) |
This supernova flashed up in the summer of the year 1181 AD, and was extensively observed by Chinese and Japanese observers.
First seen on August 6, 1181 from southern China, and independently found one day later from Japan, this "guest star" remained visible for 185 days, or more than 6 months.
The remnant of this supernova, 3C 58 or G130.7+3.1, was found radio astronomers in the 1960s. F. Richard Stephenson first proposed its identity with the remnant of the supernova 1181. Similar to the Crab Nebula, 3C 58 is a filled-center supernova remnant, extending now about 9x5 arc minutes. It contains a pulsar which rotates about 15 times per second. While certainly much less luminous, there are also significant differences in the spectra of the two supernova remnants, as was found in 1992 by David A. Green and Peter Scheuer in Cambridge.