Do Ancient Coins Record the Supernova of 1054?

It was one of the most spectacular events in the history of astronomy. The Crab Nebula is a result of the explosion. In 1054 AD, it was an ultrabright star in the sky and one of only eight recorded supernovae. Half of the world's literate population noticed it. SN 1054 was mostly written about in the East and not in the West. There is a chance for a hint at it in the most unlikely of places.

That is the new theory according to a group of researchers. There was a special version of a coin that showed two stars around the head of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX.

The new star in the sky was noticed by scholars in Japan, China, and the Islamic world. The Christians, why didn't they? There has been a long-standing debate in the astronomy community about this question. Christian scholars worried that pointing out a change in what was thought to be the perfect and inviolable heavens would cause too much of a commotion in the church. Any part of the doctrine that was called into question could lead to ex-communication or even death. It would have to be a brave scholar to do that.

It's even more intriguing that a metalworker might have had the nerve to do it. The Constantine IX Monomachos Class IV coin has two stars compared to the one star on the other three classes of coins.

Between the summer of 1054 and the spring of 1055, there are two stars on the monarch's head. The monarch's head is believed to represent the sun, while one star is thought to represent Venus, the Morning Star. The other star could possibly be the guest star of the supernova.

The size of the stars is different between the 36 coins that the researchers were able to find. The changing size of the star is thought to reflect the gradual dimming of the supernova in the sky.

It would be a very subtle nod to the reality going on overhead at the time. It's difficult to separate fact from speculation. The authors don't know how many Class IV coins were produced, nor their precise dates, and they have no proof that the second star is a good sign. A team of scholars over 1000 years later finally grasped why the person who made the coins took a huge risk. Even though the factual basis for the story is not certain, we can still appreciate it.

You can learn more.

The European Historical Evidence of the Supernova of AD 1054 Coins of Constantine IX and SN 1054 was presented by the authors.

The Crab Nebula is a question.

There are rays coming from the Crab nebula.