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M60
elliptical galaxy in Virgo
M60 is one of the largest elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, sitting beside a smaller spiral galaxy, NGC 4647, that overlaps its edge. The pairing makes it more interesting than most ellipticals.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M60
- Type
- elliptical galaxy
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Size
- 7′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 8.8
- Distance
- about 55 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Apr
- 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 M60
- NGC 4647 sits very close, so a frame of about 1 degree (around 1,000 mm) shows both and M59.
- Long exposure under a dark sky brings out the faint outer glow.
- Best in spring evenings from northern sites.
Framing: what focal length?
M60 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 9% |
| 2,000 mm | about 17% |
| 3,000 mm | about 26% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M60 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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