M51 is well placed

The whirlpool galaxy (M51, NGC 5194) will be well placed for observation. It will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time.

At a declination of +47°11', it is easiest to see from the northern hemisphere but cannot be seen from latitudes much south of 22°S.

From London, it will be visible all night. It will become visible at around 21:22 (BST) as the dusk sky fades, 55° above your eastern horizon. It will be lost to dawn twilight at around 04:40, 55° above your western horizon.

At magnitude 8.4, M51 is quite faint, and certainly not visible to the naked eye, but can be viewed through a pair of binoculars or small telescope.

The position of M51 is as follows:

The coordinates above are given in J2000.0.

This entry in the observing calendar was provided by In-The-Sky.org

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