The Guest Star

The supernova that produced the Crab Nebula was called the Guest Star in Sung dynasty chronicles, and may have been recorded in North America too. Notice the large star-like object left of the Moon in this image from a cliff dwelling at Chaco Canyon. By some accounts, the guest star was so bright that it could be seen for a while in the daytime and its light at night was like that of the full moon.

Curiously, there is little evidence that the 1054 supernova was even recorded in European countries. It was the Dark Ages, so perhaps there was insufficient interest in astronomy and sky observations to preserve a record of the event.