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1 Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.
The guest star of A.D. 185 is possibly the earliest recordedsupernova, and the radio source RCW 86 is believed to be itsremnant. However, a restudy of ancient Chinese literature suggeststhat RCW 86 is unrelated to the guest star, which probably hada visible duration of only 7 months and appeared between and Centauri, instead of the previously proposed 20-mtonth durationand a location between and , Centauri.
Submitted on July 28, 1986
Accepted on October 16, 1986