Location settings
Santa Clara, US 37.4°/-122°
GMT -9
Waxing17:15 - 04:28
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Whale Galaxy (NGC4631) Position and Visibility Tonight

NGC4631

Where is NGC4631 right now?

NGC4631 is located in the constellation Canes Venatici. Although NGC4631 is currently 84° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 17:15 local time. At that moment, NGC4631 will be 2° above the horizon toward the north-west.
Open the interactive guide to NGC4631’s position and path tonight

NGC4631 tonight

NGC4631 tonight

NGC4631 visibility on 2026-10-25

NGC4631 Visible from sunset until late evening

NGC4631 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
NGC4631 transit09:3785°
Moonrise, 98.1% illuminated 15:1722°
Sunset16:1712°
Civil sunset16:457°
Twilight start (−12°)17:152°
NGC4631 set17:32
Astronomical observing session begins17:46-2°
NGC4631 rise01:38
Astronomical observing session ends03:5823°
Twilight end (−12°)04:2829°
Moonset04:5734°
Civil sunrise04:5835°
Sunrise05:2640°

Track NGC4631 position throughout the night

← 25 October 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC4631 changing position in the night sky.

NGC4631 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

NGC4631 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

NGC4631 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

NGC4631 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

NGC4631 — 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.

Open the step-by-step guide View on Sky Map

Whale Galaxy (NGC4631) Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of Whale Galaxy (NGC4631)

Time09:21
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation84°
Azimuth145°
Here you can see the current position of NGC4631 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 Whale Galaxy (NGC4631) Visible Throughout the Year?

NGC4631 will become visible again around October 26 after moving far enough from the Sun. Time
DateSun, 25 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins17:41
Astronomical observing session ends03:51
Astronomical observing duration10h 10m
Rise01:38
Set17:28
Elevation at transit85°
Transit time09:33
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 12h 42m 08s", Dec: 32° 32' 29s
Magnitude9
ConstellationCanes Venatici
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of NGC4631, 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 NGC4631 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of NGC4631

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension12h 42m 08s
Declination32° 32′ 29″
Magnitude9.24
ConstellationCanes Venatici
Elevation84.2°
Azimuth144.5°

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.