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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M77

M77 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M77 right now?

M77 is located in the constellation Cetus. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to M77’s position and path tonight

M77 visibility on 2026-09-06

M77 Visible from early morning until sunrise

M77 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonset	14:58	-53°
Astronomical observing session begins	19:00	-21°
M77 rise	20:49
Moonrise, 31.2% illuminated	23:22	30°
M77 transit	02:48	53°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:12	52°
Twilight end	03:44	50°
Civil sunrise	04:16	47°
Sunrise	04:43	44°
M77 set	08:47

Track M77 Position Throughout the Night

← 6 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M77 changing position in the night sky.

M77 - Barred Spiral Galaxy

M77 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cetus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M77 is one of the largest galaxies in the Messier catalog and is known for its active galactic nucleus.

M77 spans about 170,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 47 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.9, making it visible with a small telescope.

M77 — 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 M77

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Object name	M77
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M77 coordinates	2.71131, -0.01328
Center coordinates	2.71131, -0.01328

M77 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M77

Time	15:25
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-52°
Azimuth	15°

Here you can see the current position of M77 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 M77 Visible Throughout the Year?

M77 will remain visible until March 10, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Mon, 7 September 2026
Twilight start	18:58
Twilight end	03:11
Twilight duration	8h 13m
Rise	20:45
Set	08:43
Elevation at transit	53°
Transit time	02:44
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 02h 42m 40s", Dec: 00° 00' 47s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Cetus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M77, 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 M77 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M77

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	02h 42m 41s
Declination	00° 00′ 48″
Magnitude	9.29
Constellation	Cetus
Elevation	-51.8°
Azimuth	14.5°

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