M 74 (NGC 628) -- Spiral Galaxy in Pisces
The Phantom
From my suburban home half way between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, it requires
an exceptionally clear, clean night sky for The Phantom (M74) to become visible in my
155mm refractor. This morning, several hours before sunrise, was one of those times.
M75 is a galaxy about the same size as our Milky Way, but seen at a distance of 32
million light years. What makes this open-face spiral so difficult to see in light polluted
skies is the extremely low surface brightness. If I see it at all from my house, it appears
as a ghostly patch of mist through the telescope's eyepiece.
an exceptionally clear, clean night sky for The Phantom (M74) to become visible in my
155mm refractor. This morning, several hours before sunrise, was one of those times.
M75 is a galaxy about the same size as our Milky Way, but seen at a distance of 32
million light years. What makes this open-face spiral so difficult to see in light polluted
skies is the extremely low surface brightness. If I see it at all from my house, it appears
as a ghostly patch of mist through the telescope's eyepiece.