M98
Galaxy in Coma Berenices
About
An intermediate spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, about 44 million light-years away, seen steeply tilted at about 74° to our line of sight. It is a Virgo Cluster member approaching us at about 140 km/s, and it may have passed close to M99 about 750 million years ago.
Imaging tips
- Long and thin at roughly 10′ × 3′: 2,420–4,040 mm on APS-C, or 3,710–6,190 mm on full frame.
- Faint for its size at 22.4 mag/arcsec², so plan many hours of broadband data.
- One published image used 50 minutes of 10-minute subs on a 110 mm refractor and already showed the bright, elongated core; more time is needed for the outer disk.
- M99 is about 1.3° away, so a wide field or mosaic is needed to show both; a 130 mm refractor field has been used for the nearby M99 and M100 pair.
- Best around March and April; it reaches about 55° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 10′ × 3′
- Magnitude
- 10.1
- Coordinates
- RA 12h 13.7m, Dec +14° 54′
- Framing, APS-C
- 2420–4040 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 3710–6190 mm
- Best months
- Mar, Apr
- Peak altitude
- 55° from 50°N, 70° from 35°N