Supernova SN 2011dh in M-51

Galaxies M-51 & NGC 5195 - Supernova 2011 dh

Galaxy M-51 and Supernova 2011 dh
Image above taken with an STL-1301E CCD camera thru Kopernik's 20 inch telescope (working at F/5) at 4:40 UT on June 4, 2011.

The following image taken with same camera/scope at 4:00 UT on June 7, 2011.

Galaxy M-51 and Supernova 2011 dh

Supernova 2011 dh:

Discovered June 1st 2011, by Tom Reiland; Thomas Griga; Amedee Riou; and Stephane Lamotte Bailey.

Type: II
The supernova is magnitude 15.0 in the first Kopernik image.
The supernova estimates from our second (color) image: red = 13.52; blue = 14.54
A June 2nd spectrum taken with the Keck I telescope reveals that "The shock wave has material moving at a variety of different speeds (typically faster farther out) .... The hydrogen that we see moving toward us at 17,600 km per second is probably a pretty good proxy for the fastest material in the outflow."

Follow this Link to a NASA Web site on supernovas. It has a very nice animation and a description of what these objects are.

Spiral Galaxy M-51 and companion NGC 5195:

M-51(NGC 5194), the famous "Whirlpool Galaxy", is found South West from Eta Ursa Majoris, the end star of the Big Dipper's handle.

For more information on M-51, see our page on this galaxy.

George Normandin, KAS

June 4th, 2011 and June 8, 2011