đŸ’„ #54: A Star Dies in M101 – Capturing Supernova SN2023ixf

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M101 Galaxy with Supernova SN2023ixf | Canon 700D (AstroMod) on EQ6-R Pro | ~9h integration

🧭 A Familiar Galaxy, A New Light

With a few more years of experience behind me, I’ve gotten to know M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, fairly well. I’ve imaged it before — a beautiful face-on spiral in Ursa Major that stretches its arms delicately across space. But this time, the news was different.

I had just read that a supernova had been detected in M101 — SN2023ixf, to be precise. It had exploded only days earlier and was still rising in brightness.

I opened my weather app.
A clear sky window was on its way.
I didn’t hesitate.

⚙ Setup and Image Acquisition

This time, the gear was ready and reliable:

  • SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount
  • SkyWatcher 150/750 Newtonian telescope
  • Canon 700D DSLR (AstroModified)

I set up the rig in a rush, balancing as best I could while the light faded.
Then: plate solving. What a lifesaver — especially when you’re in a hurry and precision matters. Within seconds, the telescope slewed right to M101 and locked on.

I didn’t get as much integration time as I wanted — conditions weren’t ideal, and the night passed quickly — but this wasn’t about very deep data. It was about catching the event. And incredibly, even on the preview screen of the DSLR, there it was:

✹ A new star.
Bright. Sharp.
Right where nothing had been before.

🌠 Processing and Realization

Back inside, I opened my older image of M101 from a previous session.
Then I overlaid the new one.
And there it was — unmistakably — a new point of light nestled in one of the galaxy’s spiral arms.

I didn’t need fancy analysis or deep filters to prove it.
This was SN2023ixf, and I had captured it — with the same entry-level gear I’ve used for years.

It was strangely humbling.
Not just a dot on a sensor — but the final breath of a star, millions of light-years away, visible here, in my backyard.

🧠 Reflection

This is what I love about astrophotography.
Yes, it’s about stars and nebulae and galaxies — but sometimes, it’s also about events. About being present when something happens. About not just looking at space, but participating in it.

That night, I didn’t just observe M101.
I documented the end of a stellar life — the kind of event that shaped the elements we are made of.

With a DSLR.
In my garden.
Under a patch of clear sky.

You don’t need to be a professional astronomer to witness wonders.
You just need to keep your eyes — and lens — on the sky.

Clear skies,
Chris