Go / no go for deep skyGo / no go for deep sky imaging
M58
spiral galaxy in Virgo
M58 is a barred spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, one of the brighter galaxies in this packed region. It lies near M59 and M60, so a mid-width frame can show several galaxies.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M58
- Type
- spiral galaxy
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Size
- 6′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.7
- Distance
- about 62 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
Pick a saved location or share your device location. Your coordinates are used only to calculate tonight and are not stored. To save locations, use the planner.
How to image M58
- It is 6 arcminutes across, so use 1,200 mm or more for a close-up.
- A frame of 1.5 to 2 degrees includes M58 with M59 and M60.
- Galaxies need dark skies and a moonless night for faint arms.
Framing: what focal length?
M58 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 7% |
| 2,000 mm | about 15% |
| 3,000 mm | about 22% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M58 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) | 47° | Workable |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 57° | Workable |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 67° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 77° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 43° | Workable |
Also worth imaging
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