About Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

Whirlpool Galaxy is a rewarding deep-sky target and shows up as a faint patch of light. It has moderate brightness.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 24° altitude and reaches 43° around 09:49 PM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 6 hours.

Galaxies are sensitive to light pollution, fine detail requires darker skies.

Observing tips

It requires patience and good conditions.

What to expect

With larger apertures, more structure becomes visible.

Type

Spiral Galaxy

Constellation

Canes Venatici

Distance

37000000 ly

Size

11.0' x 7.8'

Season

Spring

Difficulty

Moderate

Magnitude

8.4