Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  M 101  ·  NGC 5451  ·  NGC 5455  ·  NGC 5457  ·  NGC 5461  ·  NGC 5471
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SN2023xif, David Burrell

SN2023xif

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On May 23, the Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki reported the explosion of a star in the nearby galaxy M101, also known as "Pinwheel." Subsequent review of data from the Palomar Observatory determined that the light from the explosion had reached Earth 2 days earlier. The explosion was the result of a massive star running out of fuel and collapsing, creating what is known as a supernova. This one was dubbed SN2023ixf. At just 21 million light-years away, it is the closest supernova to Earth in the past 5 years (Sky & Telescope).Twenty-one million years ago, when the light from the supernova began its journey from M101, North America had ancient forms of horses, rhinoceroses, and camels. Ancient relatives of cats, pigs, cattle, deer, and giraffes lived in Europe and Asia, and ancestral forms of elephants spread from Africa into Europe, Asia, and North America.

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SN2023xif, David Burrell