Observer's guide
About NGC 4303
NGC 4303 (M61) is catalogued as a spiral galaxy in Virgo. Its J2000 position is RA 12:21:54.90, Dec +04:28:25.1, corresponding to 185.4789 degrees RA and 4.4738 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 60,000,000 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 5 by 4.96 arcminutes.
Observing tips
This is rated as a hard target at magnitude 9.7. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around March. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 42.5 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
Because it is faint, use a larger aperture where possible, avoid bright Moon conditions, and use averted vision.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is Sy2. SIMBAD records the morphology as Sc(dSc). A published radial velocity value is 1568 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 1096 bibliographic references.
At roughly 5 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 5 by 4.96 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.