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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M61

M61 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M61 right now?

M61 is located in the constellation Virgo. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to M61’s position and path tonight

M61 visibility on 2026-09-20

M61 Visible from sunset until evening

M61 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M61 transit	11:34	57°
Moonrise, 51.4% illuminated	13:23	49°
Sunset	17:07	8°
Civil sunset	17:35	2°
M61 set	17:47
Astronomical observing session begins	18:36	-10°
Moonset	22:40	-46°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:26	-21°
M61 rise	05:18

Track M61 position throughout the night

← 20 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M61 changing position in the night sky.

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

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 M61

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Object name	M61
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M61 coordinates	12.36525, 4.47364
Center coordinates	12.36525, 4.47364

M61 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M61

Time	17:55
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-2°
Azimuth	277°

Here you can see the current position of M61 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 M61 Visible Throughout the Year?

M61 will become visible again around November 8 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Mon, 21 September 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:34
Astronomical observing session ends	03:24
Astronomical observing duration	9h 50m
Rise	05:18
Set	17:43
Elevation at transit	57°
Transit time	11:30
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 21m 54s", Dec: 04° 28' 25s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Virgo

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M61, 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 M61 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M61

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12h 21m 55s
Declination	04° 28′ 25″
Magnitude	10.25
Constellation	Virgo
Elevation	-1.6°
Azimuth	276.8°

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