Can I photograph NGC 7331 from a city?

It is possible: it works from a suburb; a darker site gives a much cleaner result.

Which smart telescope is best for NGC 7331?

Odyssey, Odyssey Pro, eQuinox 2 frame it best in a single frame, based on its size and each telescope's field of view.

When is the best time to photograph NGC 7331?

It is highest around midnight in August and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 72° at most.

Target guide · spiral galaxy

NGC 7331 with a smart telescope

NGC 7331 is a spiral galaxy about 9 arcminutes (0.15°) across, magnitude 9.41. It is highest around midnight in August, best placed for the northern hemisphere, and works from a suburb; a darker site gives a much cleaner result. Of the 14 smart telescopes we track, Odyssey, Odyssey Pro, eQuinox 2 frame it best.

Key facts

Catalogue	NGC 7331
Type	spiral galaxy
Apparent size	9′ × 4′
Magnitude	9.41
Position (J2000)	RA 22.62 h, Dec 34.4°
Highest at midnight	August (±2 weeks)
Sky needed	Suburban sky surface brightness 21.9 mag/arcsec²

In the best-matching frame

NGC 7331 (blue) inside the native frame of Odyssey (0.75° × 0.56°).

Imaging tips

Galaxies shine in broad starlight, so light-pollution filters help little. What helps most is a darker site and a long total exposure: plan on one to three hours of stacking for the faint outer parts. NGC 7331 is a reasonable target from the suburbs.

Which smart telescope frames it best

Telescope	Field of view	Fit	Mosaic
Unistellar Odyssey	0.75° × 0.56°	fits well	one frame
Unistellar Odyssey Pro	0.75° × 0.56°	fits well	one frame
Unistellar eQuinox 2	0.76° × 0.57°	fits well	one frame
Unistellar eVscope 2	0.76° × 0.57°	fits well	one frame
ZWO Seestar S50	1.29° × 0.73°	fits well	one frame
Celestron Origin Mark II	1.32° × 0.75°	fits well	one frame
DWARFLAB DWARF mini	2.13° × 1.2°	small in the frame	one frame
ZWO Seestar S30	2.14° × 1.21°	small in the frame	one frame
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro	2.45° × 1.38°	small in the frame	one frame
Vaonis Vespera II	2.5° × 1.4°	small in the frame	one frame
Vaonis Vespera 3	2.5° × 1.4°	small in the frame	one frame
Vaonis Vespera Pro 2	1.6° × 1.6°	small in the frame	one frame
DWARFLAB DWARF 3	2.93° × 1.65°	small in the frame	one frame
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro	3.99° × 2.24°	small in the frame	one frame

How high it gets from where you live

Highest altitude above a flat horizon. Below about 20° the image suffers from haze and light pollution; trees and roofs often block it completely.

Latitude	Highest altitude
Oslo, 60° N	64°
Amsterdam, 52° N	72°
Madrid, 40° N	84°
Miami, 26° N	82°
Equator	56°
Sydney, 34° S	22°

See if it clears your own horizon tonight

Nearby in the sky

Objects close to NGC 7331 in the sky, so you can image them in the same session.

NGC 7662 Blue Snowball Nebula planetary nebula, 12.5° away
IC 5146 Cocoon Nebula emission nebula, 15.2° away
M39 open cluster, 18.5° away
NGC 6992 Eastern Veil Nebula supernova remnant, 21.2° away
NGC 7000 North America Nebula emission nebula, 21.3° away
IC 5070 Pelican Nebula emission nebula, 22.7° away

Questions and answers

Can I photograph NGC 7331 from a city?: It is possible: it works from a suburb; a darker site gives a much cleaner result.
Which smart telescope is best for NGC 7331?: Odyssey, Odyssey Pro, eQuinox 2 frame it best in a single frame, based on its size and each telescope's field of view.
When is the best time to photograph NGC 7331?: It is highest around midnight in August and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 72° at most.

Object data: Messier catalogue via d3-celestial (BSD-3); NGC and IC objects from OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0). Altitudes and dates are calculated, not observed.