One myth appeared to be an appropriate candidate for the supernova, so I proceeded to learn everything I could about the events historical context. In browsing library shelves I stumbled across a number of works by astronomers and historians of astronomy who had evaluated and compiled records of naked-eye observations of various transient celestial events during the past 2,000 years in China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East, and Europe. These dated and described phenomena could be directly compared with the Hawaiian record of genealogical myths. These figures, primarily from observations made in Asia, indicate that every human generation in a given region has the potential to witness an average of at least ten such events, apart from eclipses, planetary conjunctions, and other more regular events. Comets dominate the celestial imagery in Hawaiian myths.
Comets can change from dull to brilliant over the course of days or hours.
A lengthy red-tailed comet in a.d. 905, along with the a.d. 902 Leonid meteor storm, served as the basis for the myth of Peles coming to Hawaii. Other Hawaiian gods and goddesses were associated with the Sun, the Moon, the Milky Way, meteor storms, and exploding novae. In Hawaii, the birth and naming of a royal chief, and the performance of circumcision several years later, involved elaborate ceremonies lasting many weeks. Chanting, hula dancing, and storytelling established the lineage of the new-born chief. Distinguished Hawaiian historian Samuel Kamakau noted that when a high-ranking chieftess became pregnant, signs visible to everyone would appear in the heavens.