Scientists Provide First Detailed Description of SN 1181

Scientists from the University of Tokyo were able in a recent study to provide a detailed description of the first stellar explosion (Supernova 1181 or SN 1181) by creating a computer model of its evolution after it had been a mystery to astronomers for about a thousand years. The study included comparing the computer model of SN 1181's evolution with archival telescope observations of its nebula (giant cloud of gas and dust that is visible to this day). The researchers said that the analysis strongly suggested that SN 1181 belongs to a rare class of supernovas called type Iax in which the thermonuclear flare-up could be the result of two white dwarfs (a type of stars) that have collided yet failed to explode entirely, leaving behind a "zombie star" (a star that does not die). Lead author of the study and a doctoral student of astronomy at the University of Tokyo Takatoshi Ko explained: "There are 20 or 30 candidates for type Iax supernovas, but this is the only one that we know of in our own galaxy." Acco rding to scientists, determining what happened to SN 1181 could help astronomers better understand the life and death of stars and how they contribute to planetary formation. Source: Qatar News Agency