About Spindle Galaxy (M102)

Spindle Galaxy is frequently observed by amateur astronomers and appears as a soft glow. It is quite faint.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 7° altitude and reaches 34° around 11:35 PM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 4 hours.

Galaxies are sensitive to light pollution, subtle features are easily lost in bright skies.

Observing tips

It requires patience and good conditions.

What to expect

It offers less structure than some of the brightest galaxies.

Type

Lenticular (S0) Galaxy

Constellation

Draco

Distance

40000000 ly

Size

5.2' x 2.3'

Season

Summer

Difficulty

Hard

Magnitude

9.9