2025年8月8日
Dawn of the Crab
Image and Text Credit: Bradley E. Schaefer
Explanation: One of the all-time historic skyscapes occured in July 1054, when the Crab Supernova blazed into the dawn sky. Chinese court astrologers first saw the Guest Star on the morning of 4 July 1054 next to the star Tianguan (now cataloged as Zeta Tauri). The supernova peaked in late July 1054 a bit brighter than Venus, and was visible in the daytime for 23 days. The Guest Star was so bright that every culture around the world inevitably discovered the supernova independently, although only nine reports survive, including those from China, Japan, and Constantinople. This iPhone picture is from Signal Hill near Tucson on the morning of 26 July 2025, faithfully re-creates the year 1054 Dawn of the Crab, showing the sky as seen by Hohokam peoples. The planet Venus, as a stand-in for the supernova, is close to the position of what is now the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. Step outside on a summer dawn with bright Venus, and ask yourself “What would you have thought in ancient times when suddenly seeing the Dawn of the Crab?”
Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend
黎明天空中的蟹状星云超新星
影像与文稿提供: Bradley E. Schaefer
说明: 人类历史上最著名的天空景观之一，出现在西元1054年（北宋至和元年）的7月，当时蟹状星云超新星在黎明的天空中闪耀。古中国的天文官最早在1054年7月4日的清晨，观测到位于天关（Zeta Tauri 金牛座ζ星）旁边的这颗客星。这颗超新星在1054年7月底，达到比金星还亮的最大亮度，并且连续23天白昼可见。这颗客星是如此的明亮，世界各地的文明应都难以忽视，但留存下来的记录却只有9笔，包括来自中国、日本和君士坦丁堡的观测记录。这张在2025年7月26日清晨、摄于美国土桑市信号山的苹果手机照片，重现了于1054年的黎明天空中，霍霍坎族印地安人可能见到的蟹状星云超新星。这幅影像，则以位于蟹状星云超新星残骸位置附近的金星，作为超新星的替代品。当你在夏日清晨走到户外，抬头仰望明亮的金星时，不妨问问自己：「如果生在古代，当你突然看到黎明天空中的蟹状星云超新星，脑子会如何浮想联翩？」
明日的图片: light-weekend
