The Supernova in Galileo’s Starry Sky and Its Impact on Astronomy

Abstract

In 1604, the last of the supernovae seen with the naked eye in the Milky Way had a great impact on the history of astronomy and cosmology. Scientists with different conceptions of the Universe - among them Galilei and Kepler but also Arab and Chinese astronomers - competed and collaborated to explain its nature, its origin and its astrological meaning. Even today, we still observe what remains of that supernova, and we learn about stellar astrophysics.