M61: Rise, Set, Nighttime Path
M61 Daily Motion
Tonight, observing M61 may prove challenging owing to its low elevation. It will reach its transit at by 11:47 and set before sunset at 18:01. Rising near twilight's end at 05:29, it will fade away by 06:52, peaking at just 16° above the horizon.M61 will become visible in November, 8. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from November, 8, M61 can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.
M61 Rise and Set Timetable
Time | Elevation | |
M61 transit | 11:47 | 55° |
M61 Set | 18:01 | |
Astrosession begin | 19:40 | -18° |
M61 Rise | 05:29 | |
Astrosession end | 06:52 | 16° |
Civil sunrise | 07:23 | 22° |
Sunrise | 07:52 | 27° |
M61 Sky Tracker Map
Time | |
Altitude | |
Azimuth |
M61 - Barred Spiral Galaxy
M61 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Barnaba Oriani in 1779 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M61 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and is known for its active galactic nucleus.
M61 spans about 100,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 52 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.7, making it visible with a small telescope.
M61 Image Gallery
DSS Blue
DSS Red
DSS Near-Infrared
DSS Composite image
The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).
Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.
Finder Chart for M61
Object name | M61 |
Field of view | |
Limiting magnitude | |
M61 coordinates | 12.36525, 4.47364 |
Center coordinates | 12.36525, 4.47364 |
M61 Passage Through Night
Current position of M61
Time | 12:06 |
Latitude | 39.9625 |
Longitude | -83.0061 |
M61 elevation | 54° |
M61 Azimuth | 172° |
Annual motion of M61
Date | Wed, 23 October 2024 |
Twighlight start | 20:08 |
Twighlight end | 06:14 |
Twighlight duration | 10h 7m |
Rise | 05:29 |
Set | 17:57 |
Elevation at transit | 55° |
Transit time | 11:43 |
Equatorial coordinate | RA: 12h 21m 54s, Dec: 04° 28' 25" |
Magnitude | 10 |
Constellation | Virgo |
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M61 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.