M74 in Pisces a.k.a. NGC 628 or the Phantom Galaxy

About the Object

M74 (aka NGC 628 or Phantom Galaxy) in the constellation Pisces is one of the most extended galaxy objects on the night sky. It can serve as an archetype of a grand design spiral galaxy with two major arms.Owing to its low surface brightness it is one of the most difficult Messier object to observe. M74 recently received some renewed fame thanks to the breath-taking picture of JWST

Observation Notes

M74 is a difficult object from my backyard as it is already well below the treeline. so only for about 1.5 h I get a clear view between some trees on this beautiful object. So I set up a series with NINA consisting of NGC7771, M74 and NGC 672 - the other two objects will show up hear in due time....

Data were taken on 2023 September, 11,12,15,16,17, 20, 23, and 24.

Technical Details

View the full-resolution image together with complete acquisition and processing details on AstroBin.