In spite of the apparent immutability of the heavens , Chinese astronomers was aware that new stars could appear . In 185 AD , they was 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 1006 supernova , which was observed in 1006 and written about by the Egyptian astronomer Ali ibn Ridwan and several Chinese astronomers . The SN 1054 supernova , which gave birth to the Crab Nebula , was also observed by Chinese and Islamic astronomers .