Identification of Z Cam's Historical Counterpart: The Quest for an Ancient Nova

TL;DR

This paper investigates the historical association of the dwarf nova Z Cam with ancient celestial events, concluding that the 369 CE guest star is the most plausible historical counterpart based on textual and astronomical analysis.

Contribution

It provides a new analysis of ancient Chinese records and re-evaluates the possible historical counterparts of Z Cam, challenging previous assumptions linking it to the 77 BCE guest star.

Findings

The 77 BCE guest star was likely a comet, not an nova.

Z Cam's position contradicts the location of the 77 BCE guest star.

The 369 CE guest star is the most plausible historical counterpart for Z Cam.

Abstract

In recent astronomical discussions, attempts have been made to link the known dwarf nova Z Cam to historical celestial events, particularly the "guest star" phenomenon reported in China in 77 BCE. Despite other suggestions and the problems with regard to the location of the event in 77 BCE, its identification with Z Cam is used in the Variable Star IndeX (VSX) of the AAVSO and in several research papers that aim to derive knowledge on the evolution of cataclysmic variables. Through the reconstruction of the super-constellation of the Purple Palace in the Han Dynasty, we found that Z Cam is actually located outside this enclosure, contradicting the records of the 77 BCE guest star being "within the Purple Palace". With newly found text versions of the guest star in 77 BCE, we narrowed down the position given therein. Combined with a new analysis of accompanying divination text leads to the conclusion that this guest star was actually a comet. Finally, through meticulous examination and comparison, we conclude that the guest star of 369 CE appears the most plausible candidate for Z Cam's historical counterpart, aligning with both textual evidence and modern astronomical observations.