Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Mon May 22 2023 00:05:16

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2023 May 22
    A sprawling spiral galaxy is pictured with a new bright spot visible
   near the image bottom. This spot is a recently discovered supernova. A
    roll-over image shows the same galaxy in an image taken the previous
    month without the new supernova spot. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

              Supernova Discovered in Nearby Spiral Galaxy M101
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks

   Explanation: A nearby star has exploded and humanity's telescopes are
   turning to monitor it. The supernova, dubbed SN 2023ixf, was discovered
   by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki three days ago and subsequently
   located on automated images from the Zwicky Transient Facility two days
   earlier. SN 2023ixf occurred in the photogenic Pinwheel Galaxy M101,
   which, being only about 21 million light years away, makes it the
   closest supernova seen in the past five years, the second closest in
   the past 10 years, and the second supernova found in M101 in the past
   15 years. Rapid follow up observations already indicate that SN 2023ixf
   is a Type II supernova, an explosion that occurs after a massive star
   runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses. The featured image shows home
   spiral galaxy two days ago with the supernova highlighted, while the
   roll-over image shows the same galaxy a month before. SN 2023ixf will
   likely brighten and remain visible to telescopes for months. Studying
   such a close and young Type II supernova may yield new clues about
   massive stars and how they explode.

                   Tomorrow's picture: just above jupiter
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