M86 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M86 right now?

M86 is located in the constellation Virgo. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to M86’s position and path tonight

M86 tonight

M86 visibility on 2026-10-22

M86 Visible from early morning until sunrise

M86 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M86 transit	09:33	66°
Moonrise, 71.9% illuminated	14:01	26°
M86 set	16:12
Astronomical observing session begins	17:49	-18°
Moonset	01:36	-14°
M86 rise	02:49
Astronomical observing session ends	03:55	13°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:25	19°
Civil sunrise	04:56	25°
Sunrise	05:24	30°

Track M86 position throughout the night

← 22 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M86 changing position in the night sky.

M86 - Lenticular Galaxy

M86 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M86 is part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and is known for its bright core and lack of spiral arms.

M86 spans about 120,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of old stars. The galaxy is approximately 52 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.2, making it visible with a small telescope.

M86 — 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.

M86 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M86

Time	20:35
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-38°
Azimuth	343°

Here you can see the current position of M86 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 M86 Visible Throughout the Year?

M86 will become visible again around November 3 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Fri, 23 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	17:48
Astronomical observing session ends	03:53
Astronomical observing duration	10h 6m
Rise	02:49
Set	16:08
Elevation at transit	66°
Transit time	09:29
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 26m 11s", Dec: 12° 56' 46s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Virgo

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M86, 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 M86 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M86

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12h 26m 12s
Declination	12° 56′ 46″
Magnitude	8.86
Constellation	Virgo
Elevation	-38°
Azimuth	342.7°

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