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Santa Clara, US 37.4°/-122°
GMT -9

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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) right now?

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 31° toward the north-east, with an apparent magnitude of 8.36.

Open the interactive guide to Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)’s position and path tonight

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) tonight

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) visibility on 2026-10-25

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Visible from sunset until before midnight

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) transit	10:24	80°
Moonrise, 98.1% illuminated	15:17	37°
Sunset	16:17	27°
Civil sunset	16:45	23°
Twilight start (−12°)	17:15	19°
Astronomical observing session begins	17:46	15°
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) set	20:05
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) rise	00:40
Astronomical observing session ends	03:58	23°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:28	27°
Moonset	04:57	32°
Civil sunrise	04:58	32°
Sunrise	05:26	37°

Track Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) position throughout the night

← 25 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) changing position in the night sky.

M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1773. M51 is famous for its grand-design spiral structure and its interaction with a smaller galaxy, NGC 5195.

M51 spans about 76,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 23 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.4, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M51 — 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.

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

Time	04:56
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	31°
Azimuth	52°

Here you can see the current position of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) 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 Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Visible Throughout the Year?

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) will become visible again around October 29 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Sun, 25 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	17:41
Astronomical observing session ends	03:51
Astronomical observing duration	10h 10m
Rise	00:40
Set	20:01
Elevation at transit	80°
Transit time	10:20
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 13h 29m 52s", Dec: 47° 11' 42s
Magnitude	8
Constellation	Canes Venatici

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), 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 Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	13h 29m 53s
Declination	47° 11′ 43″
Magnitude	8.36
Constellation	Canes Venatici
Elevation	31.2°
Azimuth	51.9°

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.

Observation Settings