Petroglyph may have recorded Supernova

A petroglyph found White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix may have depicted a Supernova that occured around 1006. The supernova is purported to have been the brightest as seen from earth in 5000 years.

The petroglyph panel in the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix consists of several figures pecked into the dark desert varnish, a patina of iron and manganese oxides that often coats rock in arid environments.

The most prominent figures are an eight-point star and an irregular circle, from which several rays, or arms, protrude.

According to Barentine, the star represents the great supernova of 1006 and the irregular circle, with arms and perhaps eyes, is the constellation Scorpius. Other figures on the rock may represent nearby star patterns.
Supernova

[edit on 6/6/06 by FredT]

[edit on 6/6/06 by FredT]

There is also a panel in a cave in California, done by the Chumash tribe, that records either that same supernova or the one that formed the Crab nebula in 1054. The supernova for the Crab Nebula was also recorded by the Chinese in a number of documents.

Here's a web page with lots of interesting text and photos of the Chinese art and the Chumash cave (which I've visited, by the way):
www.darkstar1.co.uk...

The Chumash, unlike many tribes, were very interested in astronomy:
physics.unr.edu...


[edit on 6-6-2006 by Byrd]

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