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The identity of the progenitor systems of Type Ia Supernovae (SN Ia)
has become one of the key open questions in stellar astrophysics. I
will review the state of the art in SN Ia progenitors and point out
the main reasons why this has remained an unsolved issue for so long.
I will then describe some recent advances in the study of two kinds of
sources - supernova remnants and binary white dwarfs - that are
shedding new light on key aspects of the problem. These objects are
much closer to Earth than the extragalactic SNe that are routinely
discovered by automated SN searches, and they provide a radically
different perspective of the SN Ia phenomenon. I will conclude by
outlining some promising avenues for future research.
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