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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M86

M86 Position and Visibility Tonight

M86

Where is M86 right now?

M86 is located in the constellation Virgo. Although M86 is currently 65° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:53 local time. At that moment, M86 will be 16° above the horizon toward the west.

M86 visibility on 2026-08-21

M86 Visible from sunset until early morning

M86 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
Moonrise, 49% illuminated 12:5664°
M86 transit13:3666°
Sunset17:5128°
Civil sunset18:2023°
Twilight start18:5316°
Astronomical observing session begins19:279°
M86 set20:16
Moonset22:12-21°
Astronomical observing session ends02:54-36°
M86 rise06:53

Track M86 Position Throughout the Night

← 21 August 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
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

M86 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M86 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M86 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M86 — composite color 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 M86

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameM86
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M86 coordinates12.43659, 12.94622
Center coordinates12.43659, 12.94622

M86 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M86

Time13:07
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation65°
Azimuth163°
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.

Annual motion of M86


M86 will become visible again around November 3 after moving far enough from the Sun. Time
DateFri, 21 August 2026
Twilight start19:23
Twilight end02:48
Twilight duration7h 25m
Rise06:53
Set20:12
Elevation at transit66°
Transit time13:32
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 12h 26m 11s", Dec: 12° 56' 46s
Magnitude9
ConstellationVirgo
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 view detailed visibility information in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M86

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension12.43659°
Declination12.94622°
Magnitude8.86
ConstellationVirgo
Elevation64.7°
Azimuth163.1°

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.