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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M74

M74 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M74 right now?

M74 is located in the constellation Pisces. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 13° toward the east, with an apparent magnitude of 9.31.
Twilight begins at 18:16 local time. At that moment, M74 will be 13° above the horizon toward the east.

Open the interactive guide to M74’s position and path tonight

M74 visibility on 2026-10-03

M74 Visible from evening until sunrise

M74 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M74 rise	17:07
Civil sunset	17:15	1°
Twilight start (−12°)	17:45	7°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:15	13°
Moonrise, 56.5% illuminated	21:14	48°
M74 transit	23:56	68°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:38	37°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:08	31°
Civil sunrise	04:39	25°
Sunrise	05:06	19°
M74 set	06:44
Moonset	12:53	-35°

Track M74 position throughout the night

← 3 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M74 changing position in the night sky.

M74 - Phantom Galaxy

The Phantom Galaxy (M74) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Pisces. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M74 is known for its well-defined spiral arms and low surface brightness.

M74 spans about 95,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 32 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.0, making it visible with a small telescope.

M74 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

DSS color images combine blue, red and often near-infrared exposures into a composite view.

The images come from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under contract with NASA, using data from UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), European Southern Observatory (ESO), National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M74

Open the step-by-step guide Open the full sky map

M74 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M74

Time	18:16
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	13°
Azimuth	80°

Here you can see the current position of M74 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.

When Is M74 Visible Throughout the Year?

M74 will remain visible until March 7, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Sun, 4 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:13
Astronomical observing session ends	03:36
Astronomical observing duration	9h 23m
Rise	17:03
Set	06:40
Elevation at transit	68°
Transit time	23:52
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 01h 36m 41s", Dec: 15° 47' 01s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Pisces

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M74, including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also see when M74 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M74

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	01h 36m 42s
Declination	15° 47′ 01″
Magnitude	9.31
Constellation	Pisces
Elevation	13.3°
Azimuth	80.1°

Data Credits

The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.

For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.

Observation Settings