M102 Position and Visibility Tonight
Where is M102 right now?
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, M102 will be 52° above the horizon toward the north-west.
M102 visibility on 2026-09-07
M102 rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| M102 is always above the horizon | ||
| Moonset | 14:56 | 71° |
| M102 transit | 15:09 | 72° |
| Sunset | 17:27 | 60° |
| Civil sunset | 17:55 | 57° |
| Twilight start | 18:26 | 52° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 18:58 | 48° |
| M102 is always above the horizon | ||
Moonrise, 21% illuminated  | 23:21 | 15° |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:13 | 3° |
| Twilight end | 03:45 | 3° |
| Civil sunrise | 04:17 | 4° |
| Sunrise | 04:44 | 5° |
Track M102 Position Throughout the Night
← 7 September 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
M102 - Spindle Galaxy
The Spindle Galaxy (M102) is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Draco. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M102 is known for its edge-on orientation and bright central bulge.
M102 spans about 85,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 50 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.7, making it visible with a small telescope.
M102 — 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 M102
| Object name | M102 |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| M102 coordinates | 15.10819, 55.76322 |
| Center coordinates | 15.10819, 55.76322 |
M102 Passage Through Night
Current position of M102
| Time | 12:45 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Elevation | 60° |
| Azimuth | 41° |
When Is M102 Visible Throughout the Year?
M102 will be visible throughout the entire year. Its position changes by about 68°. Use the annual motion section to find when M102 reaches its highest elevation.
| Date | Mon, 7 September 2026 |
| Twilight start | 18:54 |
| Twilight end | 03:07 |
| Twilight duration | 8h 13m |
| Rise | M102 is always up |
| Set | M102 is always up |
| Elevation at transit | 72° |
| Transit time | 15:06 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 15h 06m 29s", Dec: 55° 45' 47s |
| Magnitude | 10 |
| Constellation | Draco |
You can also see when M102 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M102
Coordinates and Visibility
| Right Ascension | 15h 06m 29s |
| Declination | 55° 45′ 48″ |
| Magnitude | 9.89 |
| Constellation | Draco |
| Elevation | 59.6° |
| Azimuth | 41° |
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.