How Many Subs

Sunflower Galaxy

M63, NGC 5055 · Galaxy in Canes Venatici

Magnitude
8.6
Size
12.6′ × 7.2′
Effective surface brightness
22.1 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Mar, Apr, May
Declination
+42°
Filter
None (broadband target)

A flocculent spiral whose arms break into patches like sunflower seeds. Bright core, subtle outer disc.

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 Sunflower Galaxy, default sub length, recommended filter. Click a cell for the full Bortle 1 to 9 table.
TelescopeBortle 3 (rural)Bortle 5 (suburban)Bortle 7 (urban edge)
ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs53 min316 subs1 h 17 min460 subs3 h 02 min1,092 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs43 min257 subs1 h 09 min414 subs3 h 03 min1,097 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs38 min231 subs1 h 03 min376 subs2 h 48 min1,007 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs46 min276 subs1 h 13 min440 subs3 h 13 min1,159 subs
DwarfLab Dwarf 315 s subs1 h 02 min248 subs1 h 39 min397 subs4 h 22 min1,047 subs
DwarfLab Dwarf Mini15 s subs35 min139 subs59 min236 subs2 h 44 min657 subs
DwarfLab Dwarf II15 s subs2 h 50 min681 subs3 h 57 min949 subs8 h 50 min2,119 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs38 min231 subs1 h 03 min376 subs2 h 48 min1,007 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs1 h 52 min674 subs2 h 43 min978 subs6 h 24 min2,306 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs52 min779 subs1 h 07 min1,004 subs2 h 13 min1,989 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs4 h 37 min4,156 subs5 h 32 min4,975 subs9 h 30 min8,557 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs9 min55 subs16 min96 subs46 min275 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