Watch a still brightening new supernova only 20 million light years away
A new still brightening supernova has been discovered in the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101, only 20 million light years away, one of the closest such supernovae in years.
The discovery was made on May 19, 2023. Because the supernova is so close, it was discovered very early in its explosion and is still brightening to maximum. It is also an object that ordinary amateur astronomers can spot using their own telescopes. The Pinwheel Galaxy is located in the Big Dipper, making it a good target for amateurs in the northern hemisphere.
A live stream of the supernovae, dubbed SN 2023ixf, is also being broadcast today by the Virtual Telescope Project, and will be available here starting at 3 pm (Pacific).
No supernovae have occurred within our own galaxy, the Milky Way, since the invention of the telescope, so any such event in a nearby galaxy is an important opportunity for astronomers to learn more about these explosions.
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A new still brightening supernova has been discovered in the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101, only 20 million light years away, one of the closest such supernovae in years.
The discovery was made on May 19, 2023. Because the supernova is so close, it was discovered very early in its explosion and is still brightening to maximum. It is also an object that ordinary amateur astronomers can spot using their own telescopes. The Pinwheel Galaxy is located in the Big Dipper, making it a good target for amateurs in the northern hemisphere.
A live stream of the supernovae, dubbed SN 2023ixf, is also being broadcast today by the Virtual Telescope Project, and will be available here starting at 3 pm (Pacific).
No supernovae have occurred within our own galaxy, the Milky Way, since the invention of the telescope, so any such event in a nearby galaxy is an important opportunity for astronomers to learn more about these explosions.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
3:00 pm Friday.
Jerry Greenwood: When I wrote up the post and checked the live stream, it then said it was going live in about five hours, that day. That schedule has now changed.
Not that this matters. The brightening of the supernova is kind of like watching the second hand of a clock. It moves, but it is almost imperceptible. Today, tomorrow, the changes will be slow and similar.
When I looked at it this morning it implied 3 today. Set a reminder and at 3 pm it showed 24 hrs left.
Trevor Jones of Astrobackyard.com, while attending the Texas Star Party, was actually imagining M101 when the news quickly spread of the supernova. His video documents his experience. Additional footage of MacDonald Observatory is nice. Reminds me of my trip there 20+ years ago.
https://youtu.be/bHEYCO17MkY
9:26
Just as long there are no clouds to hide it all
Yesterdays live feed was postponed due to high winds. Couldn’t safely open telescope doors.