The date: July 4, 1054 AD.
At dawn, astronomers in China, and half a world away in what is now the desert southwest of the United States — cave artists of the Anasazi and Mimbres Indian tribes — gazed into the eastern sky. These ancient people all knew the sky; knew each and every star as an old friend. But suddenly here before them — near to a slender waning crescent moon — shone a dazzling star where none had been seen before. And what an amazing star it was!
