[Rob_K]

Hi Caleb, yes, many supernova events are visible in backyard telescopes. As far as spectacular Milky Way events go, it’s been a long time between drinks and we’re probably way overdue, LOL! Here is a link to historical Milky Way supernovae:
https://seds.org/messier/more/mw_sn.html

However, the abundant galaxies we can see through our scopes are a rich source of supernova sightings. An updated list is maintained at:
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/lists/RecentSupernovae.html

In late March 2008 for instance, there was a mag 12.6 supernova in NGC 7793, easily within reach of many of our telescopes. Many are really faint though (given the huge distances away), but keep an eye on this list and you might just get an opportunity to see one yourself.


Cheers -