X-ray, Optical & Infrared Composite of Kepler's Supernova Remnant — On October 9, 1604, sky watchers -- including astronomer Johannes Kepler, spotted a "new star" in the western sky, rivaling the brilliance of nearby planets. "Kepler's supernova" was the last exploding supernova seen in our Milky Way galaxy. Observers used only their eyes to study it, because the telescope had not yet been invented.
Photo Credit: By NASA/ESA/JHU/R.Sankrit & W.Blair - http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_219.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14301