Steve Watson
On May 19, 2023, amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki discovered a new supernova in a galaxy known as the Pinwheel, or M101. At 21 million light-years away, this is the closest supernova to Earth in a decade. Supernova 2023ixf is the result of a supergiant star exhausting its nuclear fuel and abruptly collapsing under its own gravity. For those who wish to see it for themselves, M101 is just off the line between the last two stars in the handle of the Big Dipper. Observing the supernova will require a small telescope and a clear dark sky, but it should be visible for several months. Read more here.