At a Glance
Object: NGC 5673
Type: Barred Spiral Galaxy
Constellation: Boötes
Distance: 110 million light-years
Catalog: NGC
Best Season: Summer
NGC 5673 (bottom center) is a faint spiral galaxy located in the constellation Boötes. While Boötes is best known for its bright star Arcturus, the constellation also contains many distant galaxies scattered far beyond the stars of our own Milky Way.
NGC 5673 is the kind of object that reminds us just how much is hidden in seemingly empty parts of the night sky. Through a small telescope, it would not look like much more than a dim, elongated smudge, but long-exposure astrophotography reveals it as a distant island of stars with a stretched, spiral form. Sources classify NGC 5673 as a spiral galaxy, and TheSkyLive lists it as a very faint telescopic object in Boötes with a blue magnitude around 14.
The galaxy’s appearance is subtle rather than dramatic. Unlike bright showpiece galaxies such as M31 or M51, NGC 5673 requires patience, dark skies, and careful processing to bring out its structure. It appears small from our point of view because it lies far beyond the familiar nearby galaxies, making it a challenging but rewarding target for deep-sky imaging.
NGC 5673 is also tied to a bit of cataloging history. It is generally listed as having been discovered by William Herschel on May 15, 1787, though some sources note confusion involving nearby IC 1029 and historical identification issues. That kind of mix-up is not unusual with faint galaxies, especially when early observers were working visually with handwritten notes and far less precise equipment than astronomers use today.
For astrophotographers, NGC 5673 is a great example of a quiet deep-sky target. It may not jump off the screen at first glance, but with enough exposure time, its faint galactic shape begins to emerge from the background sky. Capturing objects like this is part of the fun of backyard astronomy: revealing distant galaxies that are easy to overlook, but amazing once you realize what they are.
Capture Details
| Telescope | Celestron Nexstar 8se |
| Reducer/Flattener | None |
| Filter | Optolong L-Pro |
| Camera | ZWO ASI294 MC |
| Mount | Skywatcher EQM-35 Pro |
| Total Captured | 125 |
| Total Time | 4 hours 10 minutes |
| Capture Software | N.I.N.A. |
Guiding | PHD2, ZWO asi120mm mini, |
| Processed in | PixInsight |
Backyard Capture Notes
Due to light pollution of my backyard, I’ll need to revisit this galaxy to add more detail.