On May 19^th, 2023, a star 21 million lightyears away in the M101 galaxy went supernova, dying in a brilliant burst of light.  We used the resources of SUNY New Paltz’s Smolen Observatory and techniques learned in our Observational Astronomy class to image this supernova, named SN 2023ixf, in five different photometric filters on as many clear nights as we could over the course of six months.  We then analyzed the 100+ images we took to produce light curves for SN 2023ixf that show how its brightness changed over time.  SN 2023ixf has been called the closest supernova in the past five years, so by observing it and sharing our data with the astronomical community, we can all learn more about supernovae—events that are transient, often very distant, and generally not well understood.

As we are currently in the process of trying to publish this research, we are waiting before posting our data and results online. Feel free to contact me for any inquiries.

One of the goals of SUNY New Paltz’s John R. Kirk Planetarium is to involve students as much as possible, which means students who complete the Planetarium Operations class have the opportunity to write and present their own original planetarium shows. The planetarium’s “Astronomy Night” program open to the general public occurs twice a month and these shows are often presented by students. Private shows are available for different groups, and students also frequently present these. I’ve presented many shows, both public and private, in the 2+ years I’ve worked in the planetarium, and I love how much freedom I have to delve into astronomy topics that I’m particularly interested in. Writing new content for every Astronomy Night show I present allows me to flex my creativity, and deciding which projectors and/or programs will make the show the most engaging is a fun challenge. Working in the planetarium is incredibly rewarding in that I can teach people astronomy outside of a classroom, and it is definitely something I hope I can continue doing after I graduate from SUNY New Paltz.

Find out more about the John R. Kirk Planetarium: