Location settings
Santa Clara, US
37.4°/-122°
GMT -9
Waning21:45 - 03:42
  ⌕
☾
☰
Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M32

M32 Position and Visibility Tonight

M32

Where is M32 right now?

M32 is located in the constellation Andromeda. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 53° toward the north-east, with an apparent magnitude of 8.13.
Twilight begins at 21:45 local time. At that moment, M32 will be 53° above the horizon toward the north-east.
Open the interactive guide to M32’s position and path tonight

M32 visibility on 2026-09-04

M32 Visible from sunset until sunrise

M32 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
M32 rise16:12
Sunset17:3210°
Civil sunset17:5914°
Twilight start18:3119°
Astronomical observing session begins19:0324°
Moonrise, 53.9% illuminated 21:1548°
M32 transit00:5686°
Astronomical observing session ends03:1064°
Twilight end03:4258°
Civil sunrise04:1452°
Sunrise04:4247°
M32 set09:40
Moonset13:03-12°

Track M32 Position Throughout the Night

← 4 September 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M32 changing position in the night sky.

M32 - Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy

M32 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749 and later included in Messier's catalog. M32 is a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).

M32 spans about 6,500 light-years across and contains several billion stars. The galaxy is approximately 2.65 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.1, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M32 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M32 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M32 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M32 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M32 — composite color 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 M32

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameM32
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M32 coordinates0.71162, 40.86528
Center coordinates0.71162, 40.86528

M32 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M32

Time21:45
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation53°
Azimuth69°
Here you can see the current position of M32 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 M32 Visible Throughout the Year?


M32 will remain visible until March 10, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky. Time
DateSat, 5 September 2026
Twilight start19:01
Twilight end03:08
Twilight duration8h 7m
Rise16:08
Set09:36
Elevation at transit86°
Transit time00:52
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 00h 42m 41s", Dec: 40° 51' 55s
Magnitude8
ConstellationAndromeda
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M32, 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 M32 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M32

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension00h 42m 42s
Declination40° 51′ 55″
Magnitude8.13
ConstellationAndromeda
Elevation53.2°
Azimuth69.3°

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.