M87

NGC 4486, Virgo A · Galaxy in Virgo

Magnitude: 8.6
Size: 8′ × 7′
Effective surface brightness: 21.6 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Mar, Apr, May
Declination: +12°
Filter: None (broadband target)

The supergiant elliptical at the heart of the Virgo cluster, home of the first-photographed black hole. Bright, round, structureless.

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 M87, 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	19%	26 min159 subs	41 min246 subs	1 h 44 min625 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs	10%	29 min176 subs	45 min270 subs	1 h 53 min680 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs	11%	29 min177 subs	44 min264 subs	1 h 47 min643 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs	6%	31 min188 subs	48 min287 subs	2 h719 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs	8%	35 min142 subs	58 min231 subs	2 h 35 min622 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs	11%	26 min105 subs	41 min163 subs	1 h 44 min416 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs	11%	21 min43 subs	33 min67 subs	1 h 26 min172 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	7%	1 h 51 min446 subs	2 h 32 min607 subs	5 h 27 min1,309 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	9%	26 min159 subs	41 min246 subs	1 h 44 min625 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	8%	1 h 04 min382 subs	1 h 34 min565 subs	3 h 47 min1,362 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	9%	25 min151 subs	39 min234 subs	1 h 40 min598 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	8%	1 h361 subs	1 h 29 min536 subs	3 h 37 min1,302 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	23%	33 min499 subs	42 min634 subs	1 h 22 min1,225 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	24%	2 h 54 min2,608 subs	3 h 27 min3,100 subs	5 h 50 min5,249 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	16%	6 min39 subs	10 min63 subs	28 min171 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	18%	8 min49 subs	14 min85 subs	40 min239 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.

M87

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the galaxy

Per-telescope pages