Supernova 2023ixf in M101 Discovered by Amateur Astronomer Koichi Itagaki

By now, we’ve all heard of the supernova that was discovered recently in the galaxy M101, often referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy, by amateur astronomer extraordinaire Koichi Itagaki. Its designation is SN2023ixf. As M101 is only 21 million light years from us, this is the closest supernova discovered in the past five years, the second closest in the past ten years (M82 in 2014), and the second one discovered in M101 in the past 15 years. If you haven’t seen it yet, the May 22, 2023 APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day – has the galaxy both with and without the new supernova.

One important part of this discovery is the fact that it was discovered by an amateur astronomer, although it was confirmed on automated images taken by the Zwicky Transit Facility two days previously.

Itagaki is no stranger to discoveries; in 2018, with already over 80 to his credit, he noticed what appeared to be a brightening star within the constellation Puppis. What he realized he was seeing was the birth of a supernova, designated SN2018gv, allowing astronomers to “watch” a supernova reach its peak.

When Itagaki discovered the new supernova in M101, its magnitude was over 14, but it does appear to be brightening, to the point that some astronomers believe it could become visible, if it isn’t already, in telescopes as small as 4.5 inches.

For many people, a “hobby” is just a hobby, something to do when not working; however, we are all aware that amateur astronomers through the ages have made, and continue to make, very valuable discoveries. In fact, it has sometimes been said that amateur astronomers make most of the findings in the sky, then leave them up to the professionals to continue to study them. Regardless, we must take time to congratulate Mr. Itagaki for his incredible find.