A supernova occurs on July 4, 1054, in the constellation Taurus, a stellar event so bright that it is visible for three weeks in the daytime and for almost two years at night.

The remnant of the explosion forms a gaseous nebula whose supposed resemblance to a crab gives the formation its name: the Crab Nebula.

The explosion, recorded by Chinese astronomers, is also depicted by other peoples in various forms.

Modern archaeoastronomers interpret the symbol of the crescent Moon with an adjacent starlike object, found painted or pecked onto rock surfaces throughout the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, as a depiction of the exploding star.

The supernova is first visible in North America as a brilliant new star in the eastern morning sky, near the crescent Moon.