Sky Tonight

Santa Clara, US
37.4°/-122°
GMT -9

⌕

☾

Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M106

M106 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M106 right now?

M106 is located in the constellation Canes Venatici. Although M106 is currently 43° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 17:24 local time. At that moment, M106 will be 12° above the horizon toward the north-west.

Open the interactive guide to M106’s position and path tonight

M106 visibility on 2026-10-18

M106 Visible from sunset until before midnight

M106 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M106 transit	09:41	80°
Moonrise, 34.6% illuminated	11:59	63°
Sunset	16:26	20°
Civil sunset	16:54	16°
Twilight start (−12°)	17:24	12°
Astronomical observing session begins	17:54	9°
M106 set	19:23
Moonset	21:28	-5°
M106 rise	23:56
Astronomical observing session ends	03:51	28°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:22	33°
Civil sunrise	04:52	38°
Sunrise	05:20	43°

Track M106 position throughout the night

← 18 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M106 changing position in the night sky.

M106 - Spiral Galaxy

M106 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M106 is known for its bright core and well-defined spiral arms.

M106 spans about 135,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 25 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.4, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M106 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

DSS color images combine blue, red and often near-infrared exposures into a composite view.

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 M106

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	M106
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M106 coordinates	12.31597, 47.30397
Center coordinates	12.31597, 47.30397

M106 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M106

Time	05:27
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	43°
Azimuth	57°

Here you can see the current position of M106 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.

When Is M106 Visible Throughout the Year?

M106 will remain visible until August 27, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Sun, 18 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	17:50
Astronomical observing session ends	03:45
Astronomical observing duration	10h 55m
Rise	23:56
Set	19:19
Elevation at transit	80°
Transit time	09:37
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 18m 57s", Dec: 47° 18' 14s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Canes Venatici

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M106, including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also see when M106 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M106

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12h 18m 57s
Declination	47° 18′ 14″
Magnitude	9.29
Constellation	Canes Venatici
Elevation	43.2°
Azimuth	56.5°

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.

Observation Settings