The carving depicts the oldest description of a supernova

The stone carvings dating back to 4,300 BC may be the oldest description of a supernova.

For decades, stone carvings have been unearthed in Kashmir, an area in northwestern India that is thought to depict the hunting landscape of ancient humans. However, the unusual appearance of the two celestial bodies in the painting attracted the attention of a group of Indian astronomers, led by Professor Mayank Vahia.

Picture 1 of The carving depicts the oldest description of a supernova
This may be the oldest depiction of a supernova ever discovered.

According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Science History, astronomers believe that Kashmir's rock carvings may be the oldest depicting image ever discovered of a supernova , formed after a massive explosion of a dying star, according to the Guardian.

The stone carvings of Kashmir were first discovered nearly half a century ago, at the Burzahama archaeological site in the Kashmir valley, dating to about 4,300 BC.

The two celestial bodies that appear in the carvings for decades have been thought of as two Suns. However, Vahia and his team did not think so."It is impossible to have two Suns, we think there must be a very bright star that appears with the Sun and attracts the attention of people at that time," Vahia said.

is a very bright new star, formed when a dead star explodes. Signs of one can spread in the universe for thousands of years, allowing astronomers to study the coordinates of supernovae and the time of the explosion.

Picture 2 of The carving depicts the oldest description of a supernova
Stone carvings are excavated in Kashmir, India.(Photo: Guardian).

The team has turned the history and discovered the date of rock carving in Kashmir very close to the explosion of a supernova, named HB9, about 4,600 years ago.

"From Kashmir, the supernova will appear just above the constellation Taurus, or in the drawing is the celestial body to the left of the bull , " Vahia said.

The oldest records of a supernova are recorded in China, dating back to 800 years BC. So, if Vahia's judgment and the team are correct, Kashmir's stone carvings will become an image depicting the oldest supernova ever discovered.