SN 185

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sn-185

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the historical designation?Guest star observed by Chinese astronomers in 185 AD
2. What is the supernova type?Type Ia
3. What was SN 185 and why is it special?SN 185 was the first supernova that people recorded, seen by Chinese astronomers in 185 AD. It shone brighter than Venus and stayed visible for about eight months.
4. Where can we see the remnant of SN 185 today?The remnant is called RCW 86. It is a huge cloud of gas and dust that still expands and can be seen in X‑ray and radio pictures.

Chandrasekhar Limit: The maximum mass a stable white dwarf star can have before collapsing.
Standard Candle: An astronomical object with a known intrinsic brightness used to determine distances.
Interstellar Medium: The matter and radiation that exist between the star systems in a galaxy.