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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M96

M96 Position and Visibility Tonight

M96

Where is M96 right now?

M96 is located in the constellation Leo. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.
Open the interactive guide to M96’s position and path tonight

M96 visibility on 2026-10-03

M96 Visible from early morning until sunrise

M96 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
M96 transit09:0864°
M96 set15:44
Astronomical observing session begins18:15-26°
Moonrise, 56.5% illuminated 21:14-41°
M96 rise02:29
Astronomical observing session ends03:3814°
Twilight end (−12°)04:0820°
Civil sunrise04:3926°
Sunrise05:0631°
Moonset12:5333°

Track M96 position throughout the night

← 3 October 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M96 changing position in the night sky.

M96 - Spiral Galaxy

M96 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M96 is known for its bright core and well-defined spiral arms.

M96 spans about 100,000 light-years across and contains a massive population of stars, gas, and dust. The galaxy is approximately 38 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.1, making it visible with a small telescope.

M96 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M96 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M96 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M96 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M96 — composite color 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 M96

Finder Chart for M96

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

M96 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M96

Time18:16
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation-27°
Azimuth312°
Here you can see the current position of M96 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 M96 Visible Throughout the Year?

M96 will become visible again around October 14 after moving far enough from the Sun. Time
DateSun, 4 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins18:13
Astronomical observing session ends03:36
Astronomical observing duration9h 23m
Rise02:29
Set15:40
Elevation at transit64°
Transit time09:04
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 10h 46m 45s", Dec: 11° 49' 11s
Magnitude9
ConstellationLeo
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M96, 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 M96 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M96

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension10h 46m 46s
Declination11° 49′ 12″
Magnitude9.21
ConstellationLeo
Elevation-26.6°
Azimuth312°

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.