About Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

Whirlpool Galaxy stands out as a well-known observing object and appears as a soft glow. It has moderate brightness.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 27° altitude and reaches 43° around 01:19 AM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 6 hours.

Galaxies are sensitive to light pollution, structure becomes clearer under good conditions.

Observing tips

It can be challenging under typical skies.

What to expect

At higher magnification, subtle detail can be detected.

It offers less structure than some of the brightest galaxies.

Type

Spiral Galaxy

Constellation

Canes Venatici

Distance

37000000 ly

Size

11.0' x 7.8'

Season

Spring

Difficulty

Moderate

Magnitude

8.4