M99/NGC 4254
Sun May 03 2026
I’m finally wrapping this one up despite losing about half of my data in the blue channel due to clouds. I’m just too eager to move onto an exciting project that I have planned and I want to make sure I have enough time to complete it before the season is over. M99 or NGC4254 is in the constellation of Coma Berenices and is a grand design spiral galaxy with one dominant arm so it’s a little lopsided. It is about 50-60 million light years away from Earth and about 80000 light years in diameter.
About this object
- Type
- Galaxy
- Constellation
- Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair)
- Apparent magnitude
- 9.8
- Apparent size
- 5.0′ × 4.7′
- Catalogue designations
- M 99, NGC 4254
Coma Pinwheel is a galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair). It shines at about magnitude 9.8 and spans roughly 5.0′ × 4.7′ on the sky.
Acquisition
- Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm: 358 × 1m (5h 58m)
- Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm: 346 × 1m (5h 46m)
- Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm: 153 × 1m (2h 33m)
- Total integration: 14h 17m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Celestron CGEM II
- Filters: Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm
- Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI174MM Mini
- Accessories: Celestron 0.63X SCT Reducer (94175), ZWO EFW 7 x 36mm
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.