Utah Astronomer Observes, Documents Supernova 

(Erda, UT)  –  A Utah astronomer is happy that he was the first to see a star from a distant galaxy become a supernova.  Patrick Wiggins was in his home observatory in Tooele County last week when he noticed a change in a star in what’s known as the Fireworks galaxy.  Wiggins sent pictures of the star to other astronomers, who confirmed his observation about the supernova.  Wiggins says he routinely checks a number of galaxies, trying to observe any changes.  But he adds that being the first to see a change in a galaxy 22-million light years away also took some luck.Â