Just after sunset on an October evening in 1408, six years into the reign of the Ming dynasty’s Emperor Yongle, Chinese court astronomers spotted a mysterious new star glowing high in the southern sky, near the heart of the Milky Way.
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“It was about the size of a cup-shaped oil lamp, with a pure yellow colour, smooth and bright,” according to Hanlin Academy scholar Hu Guang, in a formal report to the emperor that interpreted its appearance as a heavenly endorsement.
“We, your ministers, have encountered this auspicious sign, and respectfully offer our congratulations … This splendid omen is truly a sign of an enlightened era,” Hu wrote, praising the ruler whose sweeping ambition had launched Zheng He’s treasure fleets and extended China’s reach as far as Africa.
“The star remained stationary and calm over 10 days of measurement and observation,” he noted, in a rediscovered memorial that has settled a long-standing debate among modern astronomers about the true nature of the 1408 event.
While earlier records were too brief to draw firm conclusions, this official account confirms that the phenomenon was a nova – the slow, temporary brightening caused by a dying star – rather than a comet or meteor flashing through the sky.
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The discovery was reported last week by researchers from China, Germany, and Chile in peer-reviewed The Astronomical Journal. The unprecedented details, including the star’s size and brightness, also helped the team to narrow down the star’s possible position.