Supernova 2011by.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 Dall-Kirkham cassegrain telescope at prime focus.
A bright supernova appeared in NGC 3972 at the end of April 2011. At its brightest on about May 9, it reached around magnitude 12.1 and was easily visible in an 8" telescope.
Observations of the supernova continued until December 2011. The resulting lightcurve is shown below. This lightcurve is typical of a Type Ia supernova.
Below is an animation of all of my images of the supernova. Taken over a wide range of conditions, it was rather difficult to process them such that the galaxy was about the same brightness in each image. Nevertheless, it is possible to see the supernova brighten a little and then fade away.
