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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Coma Pinwheel (M99)

Coma Pinwheel (M99) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M99 right now?

M99 is located in the constellation Coma Berenices. Although M99 is currently 63° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, M99 will be 8° above the horizon toward the north-west.

Open the interactive guide to M99’s position and path tonight

M99 visibility on 2026-09-07

M99 Visible from sunset until late evening

M99 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M99 transit	12:22	67°
Moonset	14:56	49°
Sunset	17:27	19°
Civil sunset	17:55	14°
Twilight start	18:26	8°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:58	2°
M99 set	19:06
Moonrise, 21% illuminated	23:21	-36°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:13	-24°
M99 rise	05:34

Track M99 Position Throughout the Night

← 7 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M99 changing position in the night sky.

M99 - Pinwheel Galaxy

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M99) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M99 is known for its well-defined spiral arms and high surface brightness.

M99 spans about 85,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 50 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.9, making it visible with a small telescope.

M99 — 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 M99

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Object name	M99
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M99 coordinates	12.31378, 14.4165
Center coordinates	12.31378, 14.4165

Coma Pinwheel (M99) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Coma Pinwheel (M99)

Time	13:29
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	63°
Azimuth	217°

Here you can see the current position of M99 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 Coma Pinwheel (M99) Visible Throughout the Year?

M99 will become visible again around October 31 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	05:34
Set	19:02
Elevation at transit	67°
Transit time	12:18
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 12h 18m 49s", Dec: 14° 24' 59s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Coma Berenices

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M99, 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 M99 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M99

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	12h 18m 50s
Declination	14° 24′ 59″
Magnitude	9.84
Constellation	Coma Berenices
Elevation	62.7°
Azimuth	217.2°

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