Observer's guide
About Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) is catalogued as a spiral galaxy in Hydra. Its J2000 position is RA 13:37:00.95, Dec -29:51:55.5, corresponding to 204.2538 degrees RA and -29.8658 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 15,000,000 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 13.8 by 12.88 arcminutes.
Observing tips
This is rated as a hard target at magnitude 7.6. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around April. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 8.1 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
A small telescope under reasonably dark skies is a good starting point; use the live altitude chart to choose its highest point.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is SBG. SIMBAD records the morphology as SAB(s)c. A published radial velocity value is 519.1 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 2801 bibliographic references.
At roughly 13.8 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 13.8 by 12.88 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.