Another Nearby Supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy . ... Credit Copyright: Stephane Lamotte Bailey, Marc Deldem , Jean-Luc Dauvergne Explanation: One of the brightest supernovas in recent years has just been recorded in the nearby Whirlpool galaxy (M51). ... Pictured above are two images of M51 taken with a small telescope: one taken on May 30 that does not show the supernova, and one taken on June 2 which does. The June 2 image is one of the first images reported to contain the supernova. ...