Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) Position and Visibility Tonight
Where is Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) right now?
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) will be 43° above the horizon toward the north-west.
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) visibility on 2026-09-07
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is always above the horizon | ||
| Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) transit | 14:06 | 73° |
| Moonset | 14:56 | 71° |
| Sunset | 17:27 | 52° |
| Civil sunset | 17:55 | 48° |
| Twilight start | 18:26 | 43° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 18:58 | 39° |
| Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is always above the horizon | ||
Moonrise, 21% illuminated  | 23:21 | 8° |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:13 | 3° |
| Twilight end | 03:45 | 4° |
| Civil sunrise | 04:17 | 6° |
| Sunrise | 04:44 | 8° |
Track Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) Position Throughout the Night
← 7 September 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy
The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M101 is known for its large size, well-defined spiral arms, and high surface brightness.
M101 spans about 170,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 21 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.9, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.
M101 — Image Gallery
DSS Blue
DSS Red
DSS Near-Infrared
DSS Composite Image
The images come from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under contract with NASA, using data from UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), European Southern Observatory (ESO), National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).
Special thanks to National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.
Finder Chart for Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
| Object name | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) coordinates | 14.05348, 54.34894 |
| Center coordinates | 14.05348, 54.34894 |
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) Passage Through Night
Current position of Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
| Time | 13:29 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Elevation | 72° |
| Azimuth | 18° |
When Is Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) Visible Throughout the Year?
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) will remain visible until October 17, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.
| Date | Mon, 7 September 2026 |
| Twilight start | 18:54 |
| Twilight end | 03:07 |
| Twilight duration | 8h 13m |
| Rise | M101 is always up |
| Set | M101 is always up |
| Elevation at transit | 73° |
| Transit time | 14:02 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 14h 03m 12s", Dec: 54° 20' 56s |
| Magnitude | 8 |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
You can also see when Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
Coordinates and Visibility
| Right Ascension | 14h 03m 13s |
| Declination | 54° 20′ 56″ |
| Magnitude | 7.90 |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Elevation | 71.8° |
| Azimuth | 17.9° |
Data Credits
The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.
For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.