What size aperature would I need to find and see the supernova in M51?

Question

On June 2, 2011, a new supernova was identified by an amateur French astronomer in M51.What size telescope aperture would one need to have any chance of seeing this? Given the right sized scope, how would I best identify which point of light is the supernova?

Answer 1

Thanks for the tip, I was not aware of this discovery. Hopefully I can observe it at the end of July when I am at a week-long star party.

M51 is the famous Whirlpool galaxy not far from the Big Dipper. The galaxy itself is not difficult to find and easily observable with modest-sized telescopes and even binoculars from a dark sky site. The supernova appears to be much more challenging. According to what I've found its magnitude is about 14, and it appears to already be fading. That's around the limiting magnitude of a sizeable 12 inch Dobsonian reflector. Consequently, the supernova is considered too faint for most visual observers but well within reach of astro-imagers. Identifying the supernova in the field of view is probably best done with reference to a photograph,