How Many Subs

M58

NGC 4579 · Galaxy in Virgo

Magnitude
9.7
Size
6′ × 5′
Effective surface brightness
22.0 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Mar, Apr, May
Declination
+12°
Filter
None (broadband target)

A barred spiral in the Virgo cluster, one of the brighter members. Frame it with M59 and M60.

Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.

How long with each smart telescope

Total integration for a solid image of the M58, default sub length, recommended filter, and how much of each frame it fills. Click a cell for the full Bortle 1 to 9 table.
TelescopeIn frameBortle 3 (rural)Bortle 5 (suburban)Bortle 7 (urban edge)
ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs14%1 h 02 min371 subs1 h 39 min597 subs4 h 25 min1,588 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs7%1 h 09 min412 subs1 h 49 min657 subs4 h 48 min1,728 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs8%1 h 09 min417 subs1 h 47 min644 subs4 h 32 min1,634 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs4%1 h 13 min441 subs1 h 56 min699 subs5 h 04 min1,826 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs6%1 h 21 min325 subs2 h 19 min558 subs6 h 34 min1,578 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs8%1 h 01 min244 subs1 h 39 min395 subs4 h 24 min1,056 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs8%49 min99 subs1 h 21 min162 subs3 h 39 min438 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs6%4 h 31 min1,083 subs6 h 16 min1,503 subs14 h3,337 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs7%1 h 02 min371 subs1 h 39 min597 subs4 h 25 min1,588 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs6%2 h 31 min905 subs3 h 50 min1,381 subs9 h 37 min3,464 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs7%58 min351 subs1 h 35 min569 subs4 h 13 min1,520 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs6%2 h 22 min854 subs3 h 39 min1,312 subs9 h 12 min3,312 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs18%1 h 22 min1,234 subs1 h 46 min1,587 subs3 h 29 min3,131 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs18%7 h 17 min6,562 subs8 h 43 min7,847 subs15 h13,462 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs12%15 min88 subs25 min152 subs1 h 12 min433 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs13%18 min110 subs34 min202 subs1 h 41 min607 subs

Open in the calculator

Imaging the galaxy

Galaxies are broadband targets: their light is mostly starlight spread across the spectrum, so a dual-band filter throws most of it away and makes things slower, not faster. Shoot without a filter (or with a plain UV/IR cut) and rely on total time and a dark sky. The core of a galaxy is usually many times brighter than its outer disc, so a short stack shows the nucleus long before the arms; the figures here are for the arms and disc, not the core.

Field rotation in Alt-Az mode crops the edges of the stack over a long session, so on a big galaxy re-centre now and then or use EQ mode where your scope supports it.

Per-telescope pages