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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M88

M88 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M88 right now?

M88 is located in the constellation Coma Berenices. Although M88 is currently 64° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, M88 will be 10° above the horizon toward the west.

Open the interactive guide to M88’s position and path tonight

M88 visibility on 2026-09-07

M88 Visible from sunset until early morning

M88 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M88 transit	12:35	67°
Moonset	14:56	51°
Sunset	17:27	22°
Civil sunset	17:55	16°
Twilight start	18:26	10°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:58	4°
M88 set	19:20
Moonrise, 21% illuminated	23:21	-36°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:13	-26°
M88 rise	05:47

Track M88 Position Throughout the Night

← 7 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M88 changing position in the night sky.

M88 - Spiral Galaxy

M88 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M88 is part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and is known for its well-defined spiral arms.

M88 spans about 130,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 47 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.6, making it visible with a small telescope.

M88 — 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 M88

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	M88
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M88 coordinates	12.5331, 14.42039
Center coordinates	12.5331, 14.42039

M88 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M88

Time	13:29
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	64°
Azimuth	211°

Here you can see the current position of M88 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 M88 Visible Throughout the Year?

M88 will become visible again around November 3 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Mon, 7 September 2026
Twilight start	18:54
Twilight end	03:07
Twilight duration	8h 13m
Rise	05:47
Set	19:16
Elevation at transit	67°
Transit time	12:31
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 31m 59s", Dec: 14° 25' 13s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Coma Berenices

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M88, 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 M88 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M88

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12h 31m 59s
Declination	14° 25′ 13″
Magnitude	10.33
Constellation	Coma Berenices
Elevation	64.2°
Azimuth	210.9°

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