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To: Nakatu X; Right Wing Professor; PatrickHenry
To continue the research into the antiquity and authenticity of Enoch, I am now pursuing the earliest date for man’s observation of a supernova. At post 2266, I pondered whether this verse from Enoch was a reference to a supernova:

“And I saw another thing regarding lightening: how some stars arise and become lightening and cannot dwell with the rest.” 1 Enoch 44

The earliest I’ve found is in China:

A Brief History of High-Energy Astronomy: Pre-1800 Era

Apr, 4 BCE (or BC) Chinese astronomers observe and record for about a month a `po star' towards the direction of the modern constellation of Aquila. Wang et al. (ApJ, 569, L43, 2002) argue that this `po star', unlike most others which are now believed to be comets, was actually a hypernova (a supernova like SN 1998bw which had much more kinetic energy release than the typical value), and that the soft gamma repeater SGR 1900+14 is the neutron star created in this event.

Baker’s History of Astronomy

1054 AD SUPERNOVAE DISCOVERED, ASTRONOMERS IN CHINA & JAPAN

Reported New Star In Constellation Taurus. This was later established to be a supernova which was the birth of the crab nebulae.

The relevance of this inquiry is from post 2370, that 4Q208 fragment of a copy made at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) of the 1 Enoch book on astronomy has a Paleographic age 200, and was carbon-dated - calibrated 166-102 BC and 186-92 BC.

2,469 posted on 08/25/2003 8:51:08 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl
And I saw another thing regarding lightening: how some stars arise and become lightening and cannot dwell with the rest

I'm uncertain about whether this refers to supernovae or meteorites. The 'lightning' would suggest the latter; supernovae become bright instantaneously, all right, but they take a while to fade.

2,474 posted on 08/25/2003 8:54:33 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor
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