[Friends_of_SSASTROS] New Supernova

[Mike McCabe]

 Supernova location update;
I used Matt Schricker's most recent M101 image to refine the exact location of the exploding star. There is a 13.8 magnitude star nearby, along with a couple of prominent H2 regions. A note about the visibility of H2 regions in galaxies viewed under our local skies; Typically speaking, they aren't even remotely visible during visual observing. My typical M101 viewing experience from my yard is a dim, diffuse glow with absolutely no structure. Ultimately what this means in the case of viewing the supernova is that there will be no interference with or confusion about what we're seeing. The SN is now predicted to reach at least magnitude 10. There will be nothing else even remotely that bright in the area of it.



    On Monday, May 22, 2023 at 10:49:22 AM EDT, Mike McCabe <cartech2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:  
 
 Greetings Astro Enthusiasts,
You've probably already heard about a new supernova in the galaxy M101 in Ursa Major. What you may not know is that it is an entirely viable object for amateurs using small telescopes. At its current magnitude of 11.9 (and likely to get brighter) it's on the limit for a 4" scope, and easier in anything larger than that. All you need is a chart to help you figure out where it is. That's where I come in. Charts are my specialty. I'll leave it up to you to find M101, but once you're on it you can use the supplied chart to navigate the field at low power (the chart is about 1.5° top to bottom). Once you've got your orientation you can then zoom in a little and use the noted neighboring stars to home in on the supernova. The cool part of the whole thing is that normally there would be nothing there, but an exploding star has brightened so much that we can easily see it from 21 million light years away...and oh yeah, this event happened 21 million years ago!
Printable version attached.


  
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