Sky Tonight

Santa Clara, US
37.4°/-122°
GMT -9

⌕

☾

Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83)

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M83 right now?

M83 is located in the constellation Hydra. Although M83 is currently 8° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.

M83 visibility on 2026-08-24

M83 Visible from sunset until evening

M83 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M83 transit	14:35	23°
Moonrise, 83.8% illuminated	15:29	22°
Sunset	17:47	9°
Civil sunset	18:16	5°
Twilight start	18:48	0°
M83 set	18:51
Astronomical observing session begins	19:22	-5°
Moonset	00:52	-68°
Astronomical observing session ends	02:58	-81°
M83 rise	10:16

Track M83 Position Throughout the Night

← 24 August 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M83 changing position in the night sky.

M83 - Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Hydra. It was discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1752 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M83 is one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies in the sky.

M83 spans about 55,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 15 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.5, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M83 — 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 M83

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	M83
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M83 coordinates	13.61693, -29.86542
Center coordinates	13.61693, -29.86542

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83)

Time	17:57
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	8°
Azimuth	223°

Here you can see the current position of M83 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 Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83)

M83 will become visible again around November 17 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Tue, 25 August 2026
Twilight start	19:20
Twilight end	02:56
Twilight duration	8h 36m
Rise	10:16
Set	18:47
Elevation at transit	23°
Transit time	14:31
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 13h 37m 00s", Dec: -29° 51' 55s
Magnitude	7
Constellation	Hydra

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M83, 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 M83

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	13.61693°
Declination	-29.86542°
Magnitude	7.21
Constellation	Hydra
Elevation	7.8°
Azimuth	222.6°

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