What Tycho observed was a supernova, i.e. an exploding star for a time (months) achieving an amount of light corresponding to that of the galaxy, in which it is flaming up. Tycho had another idea, that it was created out of nebulous materia in the surroundings, which accordingly should have become darker. In fact, the nova was seen in a dark nebula, that can be observed by the naked eye, maybe explaining Tycho's opinion. Tycho's sketch of the constellation Cassiopeia, and the position of the new star (Nova Stella). Have a look at today's remnant in X-Ray of Tycho's supernova . Maybe even the "light-echo" from the explosion itself can be observed, and not only the scattered ashes constituting the remnant?

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Lund Observatory, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden Visiting address: Sölvegatan 27 Phone: +46 46 22 27300, Fax: +46 46 22 24614 Publisher: Leif Lönblad E-mail: webmaster@astro.lu.se Last updated: 2002, March 19