Ancient Indian Rock Art Found In Kashmir May Be The Oldest Image Of A Supernova From 4100 BC
16 January, 2018
Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research
It may look like just a piece of stone age drawing -- sure, people drew a lot of animals and stuff back then, trying to pass time. But this prehistoric drawing may be extra special, as it may be the earliest ever recording of a supernova.
That's right, this stone carving from Burzahama region in Kashmir, India, is believed to date back to between 2100 and 4100 BC. Since when it was discovered in 1960, experts believed the two spherical objects in the drawing where the sun and the moon or two brightly visible stars existing very close to each other.
But new research published in the Indian Journal of The History Of Science suggests that drawing actually shows the moon next to a supernova. That's right, a supernova. And not just any supernova, but a specific one.
Researchers from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and Astrophysikalisches Institut in Potsdam, Germany, carefully studied the objects and concluded that the drawing doesn't show a hunting scene on the ground, but depicts an event in the sky and the orientation of heavenly constellations and moon on the day of the supernova's occurrence.
Digging back in time, researchers pinpointed Supernova HB9, which would have been visible on Earth in 3600 BC -- and it would've been as bright as the moon in the night sky.
If true, this is a fascinating early account of humanity's obsession of the night sky -- and the mysteries it held yonder!
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