About Virgo A (M87)

Virgo A 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 49° altitude and reaches 78° around 08:48 PM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 8 hours.

Galaxies are sensitive to light pollution, subtle features are easily lost in bright skies.

Observing tips

It can be challenging under typical skies.

What to expect

At higher magnification, subtle detail can be detected.

It is more subtle than brighter Dso objects.

Type

Elliptical Galaxy

Constellation

Virgo

Distance

60000000 ly

Size

7.2' x 6.8'

Season

Spring

Difficulty

Moderate

Magnitude

8.6