M90
Galaxy in Virgo
About
A large spiral galaxy in Virgo, about 59 million light-years away, whose spectrum is blueshifted. Ram pressure from the Virgo Cluster's hot gas has stripped much of its gas, truncating its star-forming regions and pulling ionized tails up to about 260,000 light-years long.
Imaging tips
- About 10′ by 5′, so 2,420–4,040 mm on APS-C (3,710–6,190 mm full frame) frames it.
- Faint at 22.4 mag/arcsec² (above the roughly 22 threshold), so plan many hours of broadband data.
- One Sky & Telescope gallery LRGB image used 300 s and 200 s subs for 4.2 hours total, a useful floor for showing the arms.
- Best in March and April.
Facts
- Size
- 10′ × 5′
- Magnitude
- 9.5
- Coordinates
- RA 12h 36.8m, Dec +13° 10′
- Framing, APS-C
- 2420–4040 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 3710–6190 mm
- Best months
- Mar, Apr
- Peak altitude
- 53° from 50°N, 68° from 35°N