About NGC 4303 (M61)

NGC 4303 is a rewarding deep-sky target and presents itself as a diffuse object. It is quite faint.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 59° altitude and reaches 86° around 12:04 AM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 8 hours.

Galaxies are sensitive to light pollution, contrast improves away from light pollution.

Observing tips

It requires patience and good conditions.

What to expect

At higher magnification, subtle detail can be detected.

It is less prominent than the brightest objects in the catalog.

Type

Spiral Galaxy

Constellation

Virgo

Distance

60000000 ly

Size

6.0' x 5.5'

Season

Spring

Difficulty

Hard

Magnitude

9.7