Supernova SN 2023ixf in Galaxy M101
M101 is a spiral galaxy in Ursa Major near the handle of the Big Dipper. It is relatively bright and nearby as galaxies go, but we see it face-on so its surface brightness is low. When I first tracked down M101 with my little 60mm refractor many years ago, my description in my observing log was "the closest thing to nothing that I've ever seen." Nowadays, I can point my even littler 8x42 binoculars up to the right spot and I see M101 with no issues from a dark sky site. Chalk that up to the power of experience--bright deep-sky objects don't look very bright when you start out on your visual astronomy journey, but take some time to learn to see. For the past 20 years, I've had a 10" Dob which gathers a lot more light than my binoculars and small scope. Compared to just detecting M101 with the smaller instruments, it allows me to see detail in the spiral arms, although without the contrast or extreme reach of well-done astrophotography/astro-imaging. I've