Delta Professors/Ouachita Valley Astronomy League Members
Capture Supernova 2005cs in Galaxy M51

Thirty-seven million years ago, a star in a distant galaxy, M51, exploded with unimaginable force - a supernova.  The light from the now long dead system is just now reaching earth.  Supernova 2005cs is credited to Wolfgang Kloehr, a German amateur astronomer.  He discovered the event on June 27, 2005 by making comparisons similar to the images above.  The image on the left above was taken by OVAL member Brad Farrington on March 28, 2005.  The image on the right was taken at OVAL's last star party on August 12, 2005 by members Brien Dunn, Don Wheeler, and Heather Miles.  The supernova is clearly visible.