Go / no go for deep skyGo / no go for deep sky imaging
M90
spiral galaxy in Virgo
M90 is a large spiral galaxy in Virgo, tilted toward us and noticeably oval. It is moving toward the Milky Way at high speed, which helps astronomers study the Virgo Cluster's motions.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M90
- Type
- spiral galaxy
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Size
- 10′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.5
- Distance
- about 58 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 M90
- At 10 arcminutes, use 1,000 to 1,500 mm.
- It sits near M89 and M87, so a wide frame includes them.
- Best in spring evenings from northern sites.
Framing: what focal length?
M90 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 12% |
| 2,000 mm | about 25% |
| 3,000 mm | about 37% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M90 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
Want a GO / NO-GO verdict for tonight, with clouds, moon, seeing and a full dark-window timeline?
Open the planner