Sky Tonight

Santa Clara, US
37.4°/-122°
GMT -9

⌕

☾

Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Cigar Galaxy (M82)

Cigar Galaxy (M82) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Cigar Galaxy (M82) right now?

Cigar Galaxy (M82) is located in the constellation Ursa Major. Although Cigar Galaxy (M82) is currently 48° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:13 local time. At that moment, Cigar Galaxy (M82) will be 23° above the horizon toward the north-west.

Open the interactive guide to Cigar Galaxy (M82)’s position and path tonight

Cigar Galaxy (M82) visibility on 2026-09-15

Cigar Galaxy (M82) Visible all night

Cigar Galaxy (M82) rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Cigar Galaxy (M82) is always above the horizon
Moonrise, 9.3% illuminated	08:37	57°
Cigar Galaxy (M82) transit	09:28	58°
Sunset	17:15	26°
Civil sunset	17:42	25°
Twilight start (−12°)	18:13	23°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:45	21°
Cigar Galaxy (M82) is always above the horizon
Moonset	18:55	21°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:21	34°
Twilight end (−12°)	03:53	37°
Civil sunrise	04:23	40°
Sunrise	04:51	42°

Track Cigar Galaxy (M82) position throughout the night

← 15 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe Cigar Galaxy (M82) changing position in the night sky.

M82 - Cigar Galaxy

The Cigar Galaxy (M82) is a starburst galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M82 is undergoing an intense period of star formation and is part of the M81 Group of galaxies.

M82 spans about 37,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of young stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 12 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.4, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M82 — 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 Cigar Galaxy (M82)

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	Cigar Galaxy (M82)
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
Cigar Galaxy (M82) coordinates	9.93131, 69.67939
Center coordinates	9.93131, 69.67939

Cigar Galaxy (M82) Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of Cigar Galaxy (M82)

Time	06:09
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	48°
Azimuth	24°

Here you can see the current position of Cigar Galaxy (M82) 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 Cigar Galaxy (M82) Visible Throughout the Year?

Cigar Galaxy (M82) will remain visible until August 3, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Tue, 15 September 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:40
Astronomical observing session ends	03:15
Astronomical observing duration	9h 35m
Rise	M82 is always up
Set	M82 is always up
Elevation at transit	58°
Transit time	09:24
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 09h 55m 52s", Dec: 69° 40' 45s
Magnitude	8
Constellation	Ursa Major

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of Cigar Galaxy (M82), 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 Cigar Galaxy (M82) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Cigar Galaxy (M82)

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	09h 55m 53s
Declination	69° 40′ 46″
Magnitude	8.30
Constellation	Ursa Major
Elevation	48.3°
Azimuth	23.5°

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