Messier 74 (M74)

Common Name: Phantom Galaxy

Also Known as: NGC 628

Object Type: Grand-Design Spiral Galaxy

Constellation: Pisces

Distance from Earth: 30 million light years

Apparent Magnitude: 10.0

Coordinates: RA 01H 36M 41.8S DEC 15 deg 47 min 01 sec

Actual Size: 95,000 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 10.5 arc-minutes x 9.5 arc-minutes

Discovered by: Messier 74 was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain in late September of 1780.
Méchain reported the discovery to his colleague and friend Charles Messier, who subsequently added it to his catalogue of deep sky objects on October 18, 1780 after determining its position.

Description: Messier 74 is a perfect example of a grand design spiral galaxy.
It has two clearly defined spiral arms and its face-on orientation and large apparent size make it a frequent target for astronomers looking to study spiral arm structure.
The spiral arms, which extend for about 1,000 light years, contain clusters of young blue stars and many starforming nebulae. The galaxy is receding from us at 793 km/s.
The symmetric appearance of M74 is suspected to be the result of density waves sweeping around the galaxy’s gaseous disk which, in turn, is the result of M74’s gravitational interaction with neighboring galaxies.
The interaction and collisions of the galaxies’ clouds are also responsible for the star forming activity seen along the spiral arms of M74.
It appears face-on and contains about 100 billion stars.
Messier 74 is the central galaxy in the M74 Group, a small group consisting of 5 to 7 galaxies located in the constellation Pisces.
The M74 Group includes the peculiar Sm galaxy UGC 891, several irregular galaxies – UGC 1176, UGC 1195, UGCA 20 – and the peculiar and unique polar-ring spiral galaxy NGC 660.
NGC 660 is the only galaxy of this type to have a late-type lenticular galaxy as its host. The galaxy likely formed when two separate galaxies collided a billion years ago.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

Messier 74 is not an easy object to observe for amateur astronomers because it has a low surface brightness and requires exceptionally clear, dark skies. The only Messier object with a lower surface brightness is the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), a face-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major.
Messier 74 can be seen in large binoculars, but it only appears as a faint patch of light.
Small telescopes will reveal the galaxy’s bright nucleus surrounded by a hazy halo, while larger telescopes will show the galaxy’s spiral arms.
It is similar to M33 but has more defined nucleus.

The best time of year to observe M74 is October-December.

Platesolve

M74 Spiral Galaxy

Imaging Details
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