SN 393

Supernova SN 393
The Wěi asterism appears in the lower half of the Scorpius constellation
Event typeSupernova Edit this on Wikidata
Type II/Ib[1]
Date27 February− 28 March 393
22 October− 19 November 393 CE[2]
ConstellationScorpius
Right ascension17h 14m [3]
Declination−39.8°[3]
EpochJ2000
Galactic coordinatesG347.4−00.6°[3]
Distance1 kpc (3×10^3 ly)[4]
RemnantShell
HostMilky Way
Peak apparent magnitude−1[5]
Other designationsSN 393
Preceded bySN 386
Followed bySN 1006
[edit on Wikidata]
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SN 393 is the modern designation for a probable supernova that was reported by the Chinese in the year 393 CE. An extracted record of this astronomical event was translated into English as follows:

A guest star appeared within the asterism Wěi during the second lunar month of the 18th year of the Tai-Yuan reign period, and disappeared during the ninth lunar month.

— Shen Yue, Song Shu[2]

The second lunar month mentioned in the record corresponds to the period 27 February to 28 March 393 CE, while the ninth lunar month ran from 22 October to 19 November 393 CE. The bowl-shaped asterism named Wěi is formed by the tail of the modern constellation Scorpius. This asterism consists of the stars in Scorpius designated ε, μ, ζ, η, θ, ι, κ, λ and ν. The guest star reached an estimated apparent magnitude of −1 and was visible for about eight months before fading from sight,[5] whose lengthy duration suggests the source was a supernova.[6] However, a classical nova is not excluded as possibility.[7][6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference aaa511 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference aass305_3_207 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference SIMBAD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference aaa505_1_157 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference obs95_190 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference qjras17_290 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Hoffmann, Susanne M.; Vogt, Nikolaus (2020-07-01). "A search for the modern counterparts of the Far Eastern guest stars 369 CE, 386 CE and 393 CE". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 497 (2): 1419–1433. arXiv:2007.01013. Bibcode:2020MNRAS.497.1419H. doi:10.1093/mnras/staa1970.