 In spite of the apparent <unk> of the heavens , Chinese astronomers were aware that new stars could appear . In 185 AD , they were the first to observe and write about a supernova , now known as the SN 185 . The brightest stellar event in recorded history was the SN <unk> supernova , which was observed in <unk> and written about by the Egyptian astronomer Ali ibn <unk> and several Chinese astronomers . The SN 1054 supernova , which gave birth to the Crab Nebula , was also observed by Chinese and Islamic astronomers . 
