Go / no go for deep skyGo / no go for deep sky imaging
M89
elliptical galaxy in Virgo
M89 is a nearly perfectly round elliptical galaxy in Virgo, with a smooth halo. Very faint shells and extensions have been detected around it by deep exposure.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M89
- Type
- elliptical galaxy
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Size
- 4′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.8
- Distance
- about 50 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 M89
- At 4 arcminutes it is small. Use 1,500 mm or more for a close-up.
- It is close to M90, so they work together in a mid-width frame.
- Deep exposures reveal the faint extended halo.
Framing: what focal length?
M89 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 5% |
| 2,000 mm | about 10% |
| 3,000 mm | about 15% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M89 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) | 48° | Workable |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 58° | Workable |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 68° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 78° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 42° | Workable |
Also worth imaging
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