Hi Jen, an 8" scope will see a 12.6 mag supernova, you will need a photo of the galaxy and a clear dark sky plus if possible a photo of the galaxy with the supernova in it to find it.
Of cause the bigger the scope the better.
This site has normally has images of supernova but one has not been published for this supernova.
http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/SNIMAGES/
Have a look anyway it will give you an idea what these things look like.
Ron