In a recent discovery, scientists have found the oldest evidence of a supernova in human history — carved on a 5000-year-old stone. The astonishing find came from Jammu and Kashmir, India, where a sky with two bright objects and a hunting scene was found depicted on a stone.
More about the 5000-year-old stone:
Earlier thought to be just an imaginary scene or a picture drawn according to mythology, this stone was found in a rock wall, with the stone facing the site wall. Researchers believe that the importance of this stone was unknown and thus, the stone was reused in the construction of another structure.
The site where the stone was found dated back to around 2100 BC.
Which supernova does the ancient painting represent?
Astrophysicist Mayank Vahia and his colleagues at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research mentioned in their study that after some research, they learned about the occurrence of a supernova between 4100 BC to 2100 BC.
This 5,000-year old rock art found in India is likely the oldest depiction of a supernova https://t.co/cULgCaUJen pic.twitter.com/efYsM5efoC
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 8, 2018
Further research showed that supernova HB9 had exploded around 3600 BC, making it highly probable that the markings indeed show evidence of the same supernova.
Researchers believe that the stone which has been dated back to over 5 thousand years might have similar stones in the region with more illuminating markings. Apparently, Vahia and his colleagues guessed it to be a supernova and along with sun in the strange picture where few peoples are hunting down a dear-like animal under two bright objects.
Post Your Comments