Gemini North back on sky with dazzling image of supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy

The Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF's NOIRLab, has returned from a seven-month hiatus literally with a bang, as it has captured the spectacular aftermath of a supernova, a massive star that exploded in the large, face-on, spiral Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101). The supernova, named SN 2023ixf (lower left), was discovered on May 19 by amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki.