The superb beauty of galaxy Messier 61 and its supernova SN 2020jfo – 12 May 2020
On 12 May, we captured a new image of the stunning galaxy Messier 61 and its supernova SN 2020jfo. The sky was very clear for about one hour and the view was amazing, so we are proud to share our image with you.
Supernova SN 2020jfo in Messier 61. 12 May 2020.
The image above comes from the average of 8, 300-seconds exposures, remotely collected with the “Elena” (PlaneWave 17″+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E) robotic unit available at Virtual Telescope. In the inset, the supernova is indicated by an arrow. SN 2020jfo was estimated at mag. 14.4 (R mags for the reference stars from Gaia DR1). This is marginally brighter than a few days ago. Spectra suggested it was a young supernova at the discovery time.
Messier 61 shows amazing details in its intermediate barred spiral structure and it is placed almost perfectly “face on”. It is one of the most beautiful members of the prominent Virgo Cluster of galaxies. As you can see, there are other galaxies around, in particular we see NGC 4292 and NGC 4301/3. On the image, you also see a satellite trail on the left.
Of course, we will monitor SN 2020jfo and its evolution on the upcoming weeks, weather permitting.
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