M86 — Markarian's Chain (member)

About

A bright elliptical or lenticular galaxy in the heart of the Virgo Cluster, about 52 million light-years away. It approaches us at about 244 km/s, the largest blueshift of any Messier object, and ionised gas filaments link it to the disrupted spiral NGC 4438.

Imaging tips

• About 7′ by 6′, so 3,460–5,770 mm on APS-C frames it alone; at shorter lengths it sits in the Markarian's Chain field with M84 and the NGC 4438 and 4435 pair.
• One imager shot 37 five-minute frames (3.1 hours) from a Bortle 8 site through a broadband light-pollution filter and still caught M86, M84, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 in one frame.
• A deep-data write-up on the chain reports hidden Hα signal and a bright Hα bridge between M86 and NGC 4438; it advises broadband first, then an Hα filter if you have many hours.
• The same write-up warns that the chain mixes very bright and very dim galaxies, and that aggressive detail enhancement can distort the ellipticals.
• Best in March and April.