M88

NGC 4501 · Galaxy in Coma Berenices

Magnitude: 9.6
Size: 7′ × 4′
Effective surface brightness: 21.8 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Mar, Apr, May
Declination: +14°
Filter: None (broadband target)

A tilted spiral in the Virgo cluster with tightly wound arms.

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 M88, 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%	44 min267 subs	1 h 10 min423 subs	3 h 04 min1,107 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs	8%	49 min297 subs	1 h 18 min466 subs	3 h 21 min1,205 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs	10%	50 min299 subs	1 h 16 min456 subs	3 h 10 min1,139 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs	5%	53 min318 subs	1 h 22 min495 subs	3 h 32 min1,273 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs	7%	59 min236 subs	1 h 39 min397 subs	4 h 35 min1,101 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs	10%	44 min176 subs	1 h 10 min280 subs	3 h 04 min736 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs	9%	36 min72 subs	57 min115 subs	2 h 32 min305 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	7%	3 h 12 min768 subs	4 h 24 min1,058 subs	9 h 41 min2,324 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	8%	44 min267 subs	1 h 10 min423 subs	3 h 04 min1,107 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	7%	1 h 48 min648 subs	2 h 43 min977 subs	6 h 42 min2,414 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	8%	42 min253 subs	1 h 07 min403 subs	2 h 57 min1,060 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	7%	1 h 42 min612 subs	2 h 35 min928 subs	6 h 25 min2,308 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	20%	58 min869 subs	1 h 14 min1,113 subs	2 h 25 min2,178 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	21%	5 h 06 min4,592 subs	6 h 05 min5,478 subs	10 h9,353 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	14%	11 min64 subs	18 min108 subs	50 min302 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	16%	13 min80 subs	24 min144 subs	1 h 10 min423 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.

M88

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the galaxy

Per-telescope pages