X-ray: NASA / CXC / Rutgers ; Radio: NRAO / AUI / NSF / GBT /
VLA / Dyer, Maddalena & Cornwell; A composite image of the SN
1006 supernova remnant, which is located about 7,100 light-years
from Earth. By Charles Q. Choi The shock wave from the brightest
stellar explosion ever seen with the naked eye in recorded
history is revealing secrets about the origins of mysterious
cosmic rays. That explosion was seen all over Earth in the
spring of 1006. At its peak, supernova SN 1006, which occurred
some 7,100 light-years away, was about one-quarter the
brightness of the moon, bright enough to cast shadows during the
day and for people to read by its light at midnight. It was seen
above the southern horizon of the night sky, in the
constellation Lupus, the Wolf. Two new studies find that the
shock waves from such supernovas are responsible for cosmic
rays. Cosmic rays strike Earth with giant amounts of energy
dwarfing anything humans currently are capable of, and they are
of growing concern as humans plan manned space