How Many Subs

M95

NGC 3351 · Galaxy in Leo

Magnitude
9.7
Size
7.4′ × 5′
Effective surface brightness
22.2 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Feb, Mar, Apr
Declination
+12°
Filter
None (broadband target)

A barred spiral with a ring around its bar, in the Leo I group with M96 and M105.

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 M95, 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 subs17%1 h 21 min484 subs2 h 12 min794 subs5 h 58 min2,151 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs9%1 h 30 min538 subs2 h 26 min874 subs6 h 30 min2,342 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs10%1 h 31 min548 subs2 h 23 min858 subs6 h 09 min2,215 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs5%1 h 36 min577 subs2 h 35 min931 subs6 h 52 min2,475 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs7%1 h 45 min420 subs3 h 05 min740 subs8 h 54 min2,137 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs10%1 h 20 min319 subs2 h 11 min526 subs5 h 57 min1,430 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs10%1 h 04 min129 subs1 h 48 min216 subs4 h 56 min593 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs7%6 h1,440 subs8 h 24 min2,015 subs19 h4,528 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs9%1 h 21 min484 subs2 h 12 min794 subs5 h 58 min2,151 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs8%3 h 18 min1,189 subs5 h 07 min1,842 subs13 h4,696 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs8%1 h 16 min458 subs2 h 06 min756 subs5 h 43 min2,060 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs7%3 h 07 min1,122 subs4 h 51 min1,749 subs12 h4,489 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs22%1 h 50 min1,654 subs2 h 22 min2,138 subs4 h 43 min4,253 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs22%9 h 50 min8,856 subs12 h10,617 subs20 h18,311 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs14%19 min113 subs33 min201 subs1 h 38 min586 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs17%23 min140 subs44 min267 subs2 h 17 min821 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