Why have so few Milky Way supernovae been observed over the last millennium? – Phys.org

Our galaxy hosts supernovae explosions a few times every century, and yet it’s been hundreds of years since the last observable one. New research explains why: It’s a combination of dust, distance and dumb luck.
The last supernova to be noted in any kind of reliable source occurred in 1604, as recorded by many astronomers around the globe, most notably Johannes Kepler. At the time, nobody had any idea why or how these “new stars” appeared in the sky (and then disappeared). Today, we know the answer:…

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