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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Virgo Galaxy (M87)

Virgo Galaxy (M87) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M87 right now?

M87 is located in the constellation Virgo. Although M87 is currently 64° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:53 local time. At that moment, M87 will be 17° above the horizon toward the west.

M87 visibility on 2026-08-21

M87 Visible from sunset until early morning

M87 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 49% illuminated	12:56	63°
M87 transit	13:41	65°
Sunset	17:51	29°
Civil sunset	18:20	23°
Twilight start	18:53	17°
Astronomical observing session begins	19:27	10°
M87 set	20:19
Moonset	22:12	-20°
Astronomical observing session ends	02:54	-37°
M87 rise	07:00

Track M87 Position Throughout the Night

← 21 August 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M87 changing position in the night sky.

M87 - Virgo A

M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M87 is one of the largest and most massive galaxies in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.

M87 spans about 240,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of old stars. The galaxy is approximately 53 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.6, making it visible with a small telescope.

M87 — 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 M87

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Object name	M87
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M87 coordinates	12.51373, 12.39111
Center coordinates	12.51373, 12.39111

Virgo Galaxy (M87) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Virgo Galaxy (M87)

Time	13:07
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	64°
Azimuth	161°

Here you can see the current position of M87 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 Virgo Galaxy (M87)

M87 will become visible again around November 4 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Fri, 21 August 2026
Twilight start	19:23
Twilight end	02:48
Twilight duration	7h 25m
Rise	07:00
Set	20:15
Elevation at transit	65°
Transit time	13:37
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 30m 49s", Dec: 12° 23' 27s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Virgo

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M87, 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 M87

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12.51373°
Declination	12.39111°
Magnitude	9.00
Constellation	Virgo
Elevation	63.9°
Azimuth	160.8°

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