Between 30 April and 1 May of the year 1006 the brightest stellar event ever recorded in history occurred: a supernova, or stellar explosion, that was widely observed by various civilizations from different places on the Earth. More than a thousand years later researchers have found that the supernova of 1006 (SN 1006) probably occurred as a result of the merger of two white dwarfs.
via ScienceDaily: Latest Science News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120927091538.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29