Sculptor Galaxy

NGC 253, Caldwell 65, Silver Coin · Galaxy in Sculptor

Magnitude: 7.2
Size: 27′ × 7′
Effective surface brightness: 21.5 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Sep, Oct, Nov
Declination: -25°
Filter: None (broadband target)

A big, dusty, nearly edge-on starburst galaxy, superb from the south and low but possible from mid-northern latitudes.

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 Sculptor Galaxy, 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	63%	12 min75 subs	19 min115 subs	48 min290 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs	33%	14 min83 subs	21 min127 subs	53 min316 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs	38%	14 min84 subs	21 min124 subs	50 min298 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs	20%	15 min89 subs	22 min135 subs	55 min333 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs	27%	17 min68 subs	27 min109 subs	1 h 12 min289 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs	38%	12 min50 subs	19 min77 subs	48 min193 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs	36%	15 min30 subs	16 min32 subs	40 min80 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	25%	52 min209 subs	1 h 11 min283 subs	2 h 32 min607 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	31%	12 min75 subs	19 min115 subs	48 min290 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	28%	30 min180 subs	44 min264 subs	1 h 45 min632 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	31%	12 min72 subs	18 min110 subs	46 min278 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	27%	28 min170 subs	42 min251 subs	1 h 41 min604 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	79%	16 min233 subs	20 min295 subs	38 min568 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	80%	1 h 21 min1,212 subs	1 h 36 min1,439 subs	2 h 42 min2,430 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	53%	5 min30 subs	5 min30 subs	13 min80 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	60%	5 min30 subs	7 min40 subs	18 min111 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.

Sculptor Galaxy

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the galaxy

Per-telescope pages