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 not one but two white dwarfs that have violently collided yet fail to detonate completely, leaving behind a 'zombie star.'
There are 20 or 30 candidates for Type Iax supernovas, but this is the only one that we know of in our own galaxy. - Takatoshi Ko, lead author of the study
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