1006: Recording of the SN 1006 supernova, the stellar event with the highest apparent magnitude ever documented (estimated at -7.5). This Type Ia explosion, occurring in the constellation of Lupus, has allowed for an unprecedented comparative study thanks to the precise archives of astronomers in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Today, it serves as a textbook case for the analysis of supernova remnants and stellar evolution.

1869: Birth of Georges Lecointe (died 1929). A naval officer and astronomer, he was the second-in-command of the Belgica expedition (the first overwintering in Antarctica). As Director of the Royal Observatory, he modernised the institution and was one of the founders of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Image credits : chandra.harvard.edu