M60

NGC 4649 · Galaxy in Virgo

Magnitude: 8.8
Size: 7′ × 6′
Effective surface brightness: 21.5 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Mar, Apr, May
Declination: +12°
Filter: None (broadband target)

A giant elliptical with the spiral NGC 4647 touching it. A neat pair in one frame.

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 M60, default sub length, recommended filter, and how much of each frame it fills. Click a cell for the full Bortle 1 to 9 table.
Telescope	In frame	Bortle 3 (rural)	Bortle 5 (suburban)	Bortle 7 (urban edge)
ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs	16%	25 min153 subs	39 min234 subs	1 h 38 min586 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs	8%	28 min170 subs	43 min257 subs	1 h 46 min638 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs	10%	28 min170 subs	42 min250 subs	1 h 40 min603 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs	5%	30 min181 subs	45 min273 subs	1 h 52 min674 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs	7%	34 min137 subs	55 min220 subs	2 h 26 min583 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs	10%	25 min101 subs	39 min155 subs	1 h 37 min390 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs	9%	20 min41 subs	32 min64 subs	1 h 21 min162 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	7%	1 h 46 min424 subs	2 h 23 min574 subs	5 h 06 min1,226 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	8%	25 min153 subs	39 min234 subs	1 h 38 min586 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	7%	1 h 01 min366 subs	1 h 29 min536 subs	3 h 33 min1,276 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	8%	24 min145 subs	37 min223 subs	1 h 33 min561 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	7%	58 min346 subs	1 h 25 min509 subs	3 h 23 min1,221 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	20%	31 min472 subs	40 min598 subs	1 h 16 min1,147 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	21%	2 h 44 min2,453 subs	3 h 14 min2,910 subs	5 h 27 min4,908 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	14%	6 min37 subs	10 min60 subs	27 min160 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	16%	8 min48 subs	13 min81 subs	37 min225 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.

M60

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the galaxy

Per-telescope pages