A supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in 1181 CE didnt fully explode, instead it sputtered and left behind a rare zombie star surrounded by long filaments resembling fireworks. New research by Syracuse University physicist Eric Coughlin explains how these unusual structures formed. After the failed detonation, the surviving white dwarf launched a fast, dense wind that slammed into surrounding gas. The collision created finger-like plumes through a fluid instability, but a second instability that normally tears such structures apart never activated. In some sense, the stars didnt quite die!