They mention it in the article, but it's really fascinating how we've documented previous nearby (relatively) supernovae.
Modern scientists have identified that the Crab Nebula (6k light years away) was created by a supernovae. Historians then recognized that Chinese astronomers had actually seen that supernovae in 1054 AD. This was corroborated by historical records from Islamic astronomers as well.
Similar attempts have been made to identify the Star of Bethlehem, but I don't believe there's consensus on that one.
(Some of the above may be inaccurate, I just love how long people have been studying the night sky.)
Modern scientists have identified that the Crab Nebula (6k light years away) was created by a supernovae. Historians then recognized that Chinese astronomers had actually seen that supernovae in 1054 AD. This was corroborated by historical records from Islamic astronomers as well.
Similar attempts have been made to identify the Star of Bethlehem, but I don't believe there's consensus on that one.
(Some of the above may be inaccurate, I just love how long people have been studying the night sky.)