The first recorded supernova, the titanic explosion that accompanies the death throes of certain large stars, was recorded by the Chinese in the year A.D. 185.

Now referred to as SN185, the Chinese reported it took eight months to fade from the daytime sky.

In 1054 one occurred that was widely reported and whose remnants make up the Crab Nebula.

The last one thought to have occurred in our own Milky Way galaxy was reported by astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1604.

In more recent times SN1987A, spotted in the Large Magellanic Cloud in 1987, gave researchers their first real chance to study a supernova during its birth and evolution.

Last September researchers at the University of Texas used its McDonald Observatory to spot what is the brightest stellar explosion ever seen. The star that exploded is thought to have been so massive that there may be only a few in galaxies containing hundreds of billions of stars.

One theory explaining the unbelievable amounts of energy being released is that SN2006gy stems from heat energy being converted into matter and antimatter, which then destroy each other producing the supernova.

Focus on the planets

July opens with a spectacularly close conjunction of Venus and Saturn, with less than 1 degree separating them, in the western sky about an hour after sunset.

Mercury is visible in the northeast about an hour before sunrise during the last half of July. On July 18 it rises with Betelgeuse in the east.

Venus is brilliant on the western horizon as darkness falls. Venus is getting ready to leave the stage, however, as it continually sinks lower as the month progresses.

Mars continues to brighten on the northeast horizon rising about 2 a.m. as it continues its slow journey into the evening sky. Mars ends the month close to the Pleiades star cluster to its left.

Saturn begins the month nestled close to its much brighter neighbor Venus but then gradually moves away and is lost in the glow of twilight by month’s end.

Jupiter is low in the south about an hour after sunset with Antares to its lower right. Earth’s atmosphere will make it difficult for telescopes to pick out surface features on the giant planet.

Uranus in Aquarius and Neptune in Capricorn are both visible by means of a small telescope or powerful binoculars. They rise around midnight and are roughly in the southeast. A Finder’s Guide is available on Page 60 of this month’s issue of Sky & Telescope.

July events

1 Sunrise, 4:53 a.m.; sunset, 8:25 p.m. Be sure to check out the close conjunction of Venus and Saturn low on the western horizon at dusk.

6 Earth is at aphelion or greatest distance from the sun today. Earth will be about 3.4 percent farther from the sun than it was at perihelion that took place Jan. 3.

7 Moon in last quarter, 12:54 p.m.

9 Moon is at perigee or its nearest approach to Earth today. If you are an early riser look to the east at first dawn for the waning moon with red-orange Mars to its lower right.

13 Mercury is low in the northeast about 45 minutes before sunrise with an extremely thin crescent moon to its slightly upper left.

14 New moon, 8:04 a.m.

16 The crescent moon is less than 0.2 of a degree from Saturn on the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset. This is the closest approach of the moon to a planet this year. To the left of the duo is the bright star Regulus and much brighter Venus.

21 Sun enters Cancer on the ecliptic.

22 Moon in first quarter, 2:28 a.m. The moon is at apogee or farthest distance from Earth.

23 Sun enters the astrological sign of Leo, however, astronomically, has just entered Cancer.

24 Jupiter shines high in the south after sunset with the moon to its lower right and red Antares forming the apex of a triangle.

29 Full moon, 8:49 p.m. The full moon of June has several names including the Grain Moon, Thunder Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon and Green Corn Moon. The full moon this month “washes out” two meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids on the 28th and the Alpha Capricornids on the 30th, that normally are visible.

31 Sunrise, 5:19 a.m.; sunset, 8:03 p.m.

Send astronomical queries to Clair Wood at cgmewood@

aol.com or care of the Bangor Daily News, Lifestyle Desk, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402.