The Pinwheel (Supernova 2023ixf)

Friday, May 26, 2023

A spiral galaxy in the center of the frame, with a new bright star to the lower right of the center where a supernova has just taken place

After I captured the Pinwheel galaxy last month, a new supernova, SN 2023ixf appeared! Discovered on May 19, 2023, this is it imaged on May 26, 2023. The skies have been pretty terrible here in New York with smoke from the Alberta wildfires in the upper atmosphere.

SN 2023ixf appears just to the lower right of the center of the galaxy, in the spiral arm at the bottom of the image. To make it easier to find, I’ve annimated a blending of this image with my capture of M101 from April:

An animation of the supernova appearing in the lower spiral arm of the Pinwheel galaxy

Frames: 30
Time: 30m
Exposure: 60s
Gain: ISO 1600
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm f/7 ED Triplet Refractor w/ 0.8x Reducer/Flattener
Mount: Losmandy GM-8 German Equatorial Mount, Gemini 2, Losmandy FLW Tripod
Camera: Canon EOS 6D Mark II (Hα modified)
Guider: Orion StarShoot Autoguider
Accessories: ZWO EAF Electronic Automatic Focuser, iOptron iPolar
Software: N.I.N.A., PHD2 Guiding, SkySafari Pro, AstroPixelProcessor, Topaz Photo AI, Capture One
Chart: /astrophotography/galaxies/m101supernova-chart.png