Messier 74, the Phantom galaxy

Constellation: Pisces

Messier 74, the Phantom galaxy, is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces. The galaxy contains two clearly defined spiral arms and is therefore used as an archetypal example of a grand design spiral galaxy. It is also known as NGC 628. It is estimated that M74 hosts about 100 billion stars. Its distance from Earth is about 32 million Ly. Link to interactive sky chart.

Telescope & Mount:

Orion Optics UK ODK10 on a GM1000HPS mount

Imaging:

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro (bin 2×2).

Data:
L: 82x240s
R: 58x240s
G: 68x240s
B: 52x240s

Total integration time: 17h 20′

The image on the left was generated using the publicly available data from the James Webb Space Telescope in the MAST database. Release date: 2023-01-20.

Instrument: NIRCAM
Color to NIRCAM filter mappring:
Red-F444W; Green-F335M; Blue-F200W

Several small, more distant galaxis are visible through Messier 74.

The image on the left was generated using the publicly available data from the James Webb Space Telescope in the MAST database. Release date: 2023-01-20.

Instrument: MIRI
Color to MIRI filter mappring:
Red-F1130W; Green-F1000W; Blue-F770W

Several small, more distant galaxis are visible through Messier 74.