About Sunflower Galaxy (M63)

Sunflower Galaxy is frequently observed by amateur astronomers and shows up as a faint patch of light. It has moderate brightness.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 32° altitude and reaches 48° around 01:04 AM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 6 hours.

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

Observing tips

It can be challenging under typical skies.

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

Canes Venatici

Distance

37000000 ly

Size

12.0' x 7.6'

Season

Spring

Difficulty

Moderate

Magnitude

8.6