Resurrected in Space: The Incredible Story of the 1181 “Zombie Star”

A supernova witnessed in 1181 was linked to the Pa 30 nebula in 2021, revealing a rare surviving “zombie star.” Advanced 3D imaging from the Keck Observatory uncovered unusual filaments expanding from the core, marking this supernova as highly asymmetric and raising new scientific questions.

In 1181, a new star appeared near the Cassiopeia constellation, shining for six months before fading from view. Recorded as a “guest star” by Chinese and Japanese astronomers nearly a thousand years ago, this event has fascinated and puzzled scientists ever since. Known now as supernova SN 1181, it is one of the few pre-telescope supernovae documented in history.

For centuries, it was considered an “orphan,” meaning none of today’s visible celestial bodies could be traced back to it. However, in 2021, scientists linked SN 1181’s remnant to a nebula called Pa 30, originally discovered in 2013 by amateur astronomer Dana Patchick using data from the WISE telescope as part of a citizen science project.