Product Catalog

Observatories survey the sky.
Computers analyze the data.
Scientists sleep.
Meanwhile, some guy named Wolfgang discovers
a supernova in his backyard.
Wolfgangs discovery kit: The fast focal
ratio and solid equatorial mount of the
8" LXD75 Schmidt-Newtonian make it the
perfect companion to Meades Deep S ky
I m a g e r . To g e t h e r t h e y m a k e a s t ro pho-
tography (and discovery) easier.
Were not saying everyone who buys a new LXD75
telescope and a Deep Sky Imager
will
discover a supernova their first few weeks out. But thats exactly what happened to first-time
astrophotographer Wolfgang Kloehr. Heres his story. I owned a small telescope for a long
time. But I didn’t go out very often. From time to time I wondered how much it would cost to get
into astrophotography. Then in May 2005, I discovered the 8" LXD75 Schmidt-Newtonian and Deep
Sky Imager at a small shop in Wurtzburg, Germany. I bought them and started taking pictures.
Five weeks later, on June 27th, 2005, I was comparing some photos of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
with ones I had taken earlier when I saw a small bright spot that wasn’t there before. I checked all
the usual sources for minor planets, supernovas, variable stars, or any explanation of a bright object
in M51. There was nothing. Could this be a star exploding in a distant galaxy? I had to nd out. For
the next few nights I fought cloudy skies to conrm the discovery.
My rst ever dispatch to Dan Green at CBAT (Central Bureau For Astronomical Telegrams) went as
well as could be expected. Mr Green patiently explained that I needed to provide better coordinates
and more positive conrmation photos. I was new to this.
When the weather went from bad to worse, I gured my chance for a rst discovery was gone.
Someone was bound to have seen this bright new thing by now. On June 30th, the sky cleared just
long enough to get another photo. I submitted it and got an immediate email response.
The heading announced a new supernova (SN 2005cs in M51). Two independent sources in the U.S.
and Japan had conrmed the discovery. Was I the ocial discoverer? Was my name included in a
long list of discoverers? Did I even make the list at all? I found the supernova on the International
Astronomical Union bulletin and scrolled to the column “Discoverer.There was only one name:
Wolfgang Kloehr.
