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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M59

M59 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M59 right now?

M59 is located in the constellation Virgo. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to M59’s position and path tonight

M59 visibility on 2026-10-08

M59 Visible from sunset until evening

M59 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 14.9% illuminated	01:59	-23°
M59 transit	10:43	64°
Moonset	15:11	25°
Sunset	16:40	8°
Civil sunset	17:07	2°
M59 set	17:19
Astronomical observing session begins	18:08	-9°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:42	-4°
M59 rise	04:04
Twilight end (−12°)	04:13	2°
Civil sunrise	04:43	8°
Sunrise	05:10	13°

Track M59 position throughout the night

← 8 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M59 changing position in the night sky.

M59 - Elliptical Galaxy

M59 is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in 1779 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M59 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.

M59 spans about 90,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of old stars. The galaxy is approximately 60 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.6, making it visible with a small telescope.

M59 — 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 M59

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Object name	M59
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M59 coordinates	12.70062, 11.64703
Center coordinates	12.70062, 11.64703

M59 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M59

Time	18:28
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-13°
Azimuth	296°

Here you can see the current position of M59 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 M59 Visible Throughout the Year?

M59 will become visible again around November 7 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Fri, 9 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:06
Astronomical observing session ends	03:41
Astronomical observing duration	10h 35m
Rise	04:04
Set	17:15
Elevation at transit	64°
Transit time	10:40
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 42m 02s", Dec: 11° 38' 49s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Virgo

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M59, 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 M59 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M59

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12h 42m 02s
Declination	11° 38′ 49″
Magnitude	9.56
Constellation	Virgo
Elevation	-12.9°
Azimuth	295.8°

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