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M49
elliptical galaxy in Virgo
M49 is one of the brightest elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. It is smooth and round with no spiral structure, and was the first member of the Virgo Cluster found by Messier. Virgo is full of galaxies, so wider frames often contain several neighbors.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- M49
- Type
- elliptical galaxy
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Size
- 9′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 8.4
- Distance
- about 56 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Mar
- Typical prime months
- Jan to Jun
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband); a light-pollution filter is optional
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How to image M49
- At 9 arcminutes, 1,000 to 1,500 mm frames it well.
- Elliptical galaxies are smooth, so the reward is faint outer halo detail, which needs dark skies and long exposure.
- It is best in spring evenings from northern sites.
Framing: what focal length?
M49 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 11% |
| 2,000 mm | about 22% |
| 3,000 mm | about 33% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M49 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 43° | Workable |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 53° | Workable |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 63° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 73° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 47° | Workable |
Also worth imaging
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