SN 1006 Supernova Remnant (SNR G327.6+14.6 / PKS 1459−41)
Coordinates, Gaia/kinematic distance (2.18 kpc), −7.5 mag historical peak in 1006 CE, Schweizer-Middleditch background star, and SN 1006 data in Lupus.
Provenance-Backed Scientific Measurements
Every measurement below preserves its unit, uncertainty interval, observational method, reference epoch, quality status, and primary catalog source. See Uncertainty & Provenance for how competing measurements are handled.
| Parameter | Value | Uncertainty | Method & Epoch | Quality Status | Source Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NW Balmer filament integrated magnitude | 14.8 mag | ± 0.5 mag | Integrated optical H-alpha ribbon photometry (1006 CE peak was V = −7.5) | high-confidence | SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) |
| Heliocentric distance | 7110 ly | ± 260 ly | HST proper motion + Balmer line width & Schweizer-Middleditch star Gaia limit (2.18 ± 0.08 kpc) (J2016.0) | definitive | ESA Gaia Archive — Data Release 3 |
| Apparent shell diameter | 30 arcmin | ± 1 arcmin | Chandra X-ray and radio blast wave (30.0′ × 30.0′) | definitive | SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) |
J2000 Equatorial Sky Chart & Culmination Altitude
The chart below plots SN 1006 Remnant (Brightest Recorded Supernova) at RA 15h 02m 48.00s, Dec -41° 56′ 00.0″ within Lupus, alongside peak meridian transit altitudes for 40°N and 30°S observers. Use the RA/Dec Coordinate Converter to compute exact culmination altitude for your latitude.
Astrophysical Context & Structure
The SN 1006 Supernova Remnant (SNR G327.6+14.6, PKS 1459−41) is the expanding 30-arcminute (full-Moon-sized, ~62-light-year) blast shell of the brightest stellar cataclysm in recorded human history. First sighted on April 30 – May 1, 1006 CE, by astronomers across Egypt, Iraq, China, Japan, and Europe (including the monastery of Saint Gall in Switzerland), the exploding star in northeastern Lupus reached an astonishing visual magnitude of −7.5—fifteen times brighter than Venus, casting shadows at night, and remaining visible to the naked eye for nearly three years. Egyptian physician and astrologer Ali ibn Ridwan recorded that its glare was 'alittle more than a quarter of the size of the Moon.'
Because SN 1006 exploded 14.6 degrees above the Galactic plane (~1,800 light-years above the dusty disk), the blast wave is expanding at 5,000 km/s into a remarkably clean, uniform ambient medium. Behind the center of the shell shines the 16.7-magnitude hot subdwarf OB star known as the 'Schweizer-Middleditch Star' (discoverd in 1980), which sits ~1,000 parsecs in the background and acts as an ultraviolet 'lighthouse': as its UV light passes through the core of SN 1006, unshocked iron and silicon atoms moving at ±5,000 km/s imprint broad absorption lines on its spectrum.
Deep searches inside SN 1006 have found zero surviving companion stars down to a luminosity of 0.01 Suns, proving that SN 1006 was a 'double-degenerate' Type Ia supernova triggered by the violent merger and detonation of two white dwarfs. In 1995, ASCA and later Chandra X-ray observations of SN 1006's bright northeastern and southwestern synchrotron rims provided the first direct proof that supernova shock fronts accelerate cosmic-ray electrons to 100 TeV energies.
Practical Visual Observing Guide
- Located in northeastern Lupus at RA 15h 02.8m, Dec −41°56′, just 1.9° east-northeast of 2.7-magnitude Beta Lupi (β Lup).
- While the northeastern and southwestern rims blaze in X-rays and radio waves, the only optically visible feature is a razor-thin, 12-arcminute-long pure Balmer H-alpha shock ribbon along the northwestern rim (discovered by Sidney van den Bergh in 1976).
- Because it is a non-radiative Balmer-dominated shock with zero [O III] emission, O-III filters block it; imaging with an H-alpha CCD/CMOS camera easily reveals the delicate northwestern ribbon resembling a crumpled sheet of silk.
Catalog Cross-Identifications & Aliases
Common Aliases: SN 1006 · SN 1006 Remnant · SNR G327.6+14.6 · PKS 1459-41
| Catalog Authority | Identifier |
|---|---|
| SIMBAD | SN 1006 |
| WIKIDATA | Q619327 |
Related Objects, Comparisons & Guides
Tycho's Supernova Remnant (SN 1572 / 3C 10)
Coordinates, distance (2.8 kpc / 9,100 ly), SN 1572 Type Ia light-echo spectrum, Chandra X-ray stripes, and data for Tycho's SNR in Cassiopeia.
Kepler's Supernova Remnant (SN 1604)
Coordinates, kinematic distance (5.1 kpc / 16,600 ly), SN 1604 history, circumstellar bow-shock knots, and data for Kepler's SNR in Ophiuchus.
Crab Nebula (Messier 1 Supernova Remnant)
Coordinates, Gaia DR3 distance (1.96 kpc), SN 1054 history, pulsar wind physics, and observing guide for the Crab Nebula (M1) in Taurus.
Apparent vs Absolute Magnitude Explained
Understand the logarithmic Pogson astronomical magnitude scale, apparent visual magnitude (m), absolute magnitude (M at 10 parsecs), and bolometric corrections.
Trigonometric Parallax, Parsecs & Gaia DR3
How trigonometric parallax (d_pc = 1 / p_arcsec), the distance modulus equation, Hipparcos, and Gaia DR3 microarcsecond astrometry measure cosmic distances.
Scientific Sources & Dataset Provenance
- SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) (2026-10 release): Wenger, M., et al. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9 (The SIMBAD astronomical database) — Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg
- ESA Gaia Archive — Data Release 3 (DR3 (2022-06-13)): Gaia Collaboration, Vallenari, A., et al. 2023, A&A, 674, A1 (Gaia Data Release 3) — European Space Agency / Gaia DPAC
- Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) (2024/2026 edition): Steinicke, W. 2010, Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters (Cambridge Univ. Press); Verga, M. OpenNGC (CC-BY-SA 4.0 / data tables) — Wolfgang Steinicke / OpenNGC