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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M66

M66 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M66 right now?

M66 is located in the constellation Leo. Although M66 is currently 24° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:56 local time. At that moment, M66 will be 4° above the horizon toward the north-west.

M66 visibility on 2026-08-19

M66 Visible from sunset until late evening

M66 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 29.9% illuminated	10:53	56°
M66 transit	12:39	66°
Sunset	17:54	16°
Civil sunset	18:23	11°
Twilight start	18:56	4°
M66 set	19:18
Astronomical observing session begins	19:31	-2°
Moonset	20:56	-18°
Astronomical observing session ends	02:52	-30°
M66 rise	05:55

Track M66 Position Throughout the Night

← 19 August 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M66 changing position in the night sky.

M66 - Spiral Galaxy

M66 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780. M66 is part of the Leo Triplet, a group of three interacting spiral galaxies.

M66 spans about 95,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 36 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.9, making it visible with a small telescope.

M66 — 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 M66

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Object name	M66
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M66 coordinates	11.33749, 12.99153
Center coordinates	11.33749, 12.99153

M66 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M66

Time	17:16
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	24°
Azimuth	268°

Here you can see the current position of M66 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.

Annual motion of M66

M66 will become visible again around October 20 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Thu, 20 August 2026
Twilight start	19:28
Twilight end	02:51
Twilight duration	7h 22m
Rise	05:55
Set	19:14
Elevation at transit	66°
Transit time	12:35
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 11h 20m 14s", Dec: 12° 59' 29s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Leo

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M66, 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 view detailed visibility information in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M66

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	11.33749°
Declination	12.99153°
Magnitude	8.92
Constellation	Leo
Elevation	23.9°
Azimuth	268.3°

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.

Observation Settings