How Many Subs

M74

NGC 628, Phantom Galaxy · Galaxy in Pisces

Magnitude
9.4
Size
10′ × 9.5′
Effective surface brightness
22.7 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Sep, Oct, Nov
Declination
+16°
Filter
None (broadband target)

A perfect face-on spiral with very low surface brightness, hence the nickname. One of the hardest Messier objects for small scopes.

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 M74, 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 subs23%2 h 01 min727 subs3 h 25 min1,229 subs9 h 30 min3,421 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs12%2 h 15 min811 subs3 h 46 min1,354 subs10 h3,725 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs14%2 h 18 min830 subs3 h 42 min1,332 subs9 h 47 min3,525 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs7%2 h 25 min871 subs4 h1,442 subs11 h3,937 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs10%2 h 36 min623 subs4 h 45 min1,139 subs14 h3,397 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs14%2 h479 subs3 h 23 min813 subs9 h 29 min2,275 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs13%1 h 37 min194 subs2 h 46 min333 subs7 h 51 min942 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs9%9 h 16 min2,226 subs13 h3,155 subs30 h7,215 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs12%2 h 01 min727 subs3 h 25 min1,229 subs9 h 30 min3,421 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs10%5 h 01 min1,808 subs7 h 57 min2,862 subs21 h7,472 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs11%1 h 54 min687 subs3 h 15 min1,169 subs9 h 06 min3,275 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs10%4 h 44 min1,703 subs7 h 33 min2,716 subs20 h7,143 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs29%2 h 52 min2,587 subs3 h 45 min3,369 subs7 h 32 min6,785 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs30%16 h14,001 subs19 h16,845 subs33 h29,275 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs20%28 min167 subs52 min310 subs2 h 35 min932 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs22%34 min204 subs1 h 08 min409 subs3 h 37 min1,305 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