We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate Now! Help keep this site free and ads-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations »  Canes Venatici »  Deep Sky Objects » 

Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici

Altitude: 13.8°   Azimuth: 321.2°   Direction: North-West

Messier 94 is a Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in the Canes Venatici constellation. Messier 94 is situated north of the celestial equator and, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere.

The image below is a photograph of Messier 94 from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins).

Image of Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici star
/>
DSS2 image of Messier 94 in the Red band. The green region on the image is a representation of the major (7.74 arcmin) and minor (6.68 arcmin) axes of the object's apparent size.

Key facts about Messier 94

Messier 94
Galaxy
Canes Venatici

Messier 94 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 13.8°
Azimuth: 321.2°
Direction: North-West

See also Messier 94 rise and set times.

Given its visual magnitude of 8.24, Messier 94 is visible with the help of a binocular with a 40-50mm aperture or a small telescope.

Available Resources for Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici

Photometric information of Messier 94

The following table lists the magnitude of Messier 94 in different bands of the electomagnetic spectrum (when available), from the B band (445nm wavelength, corresponding to the Blue color), to the V band ( 551nm wavelength, corresponding to Green/Yellow color), to the J, H, K bands (corresponding to 1220nm, 1630nm, 2190nm wavelengths respectively, which are colors not visible to the human eye).

8.96
8.24
6.03
5.35
5.11

For more information about photometry in astronomy, check the photometric system article on Wikipedia.

The surface brightess reported below is an indication of the brightness per unit of angular area of Messier 94.

21.79 mag/arcsec2

Apparent size of Messier 94

The following table reports Messier 94 apparent angular size. The green area displayed on top of the DSS2 image of Messier 94 is a visual representation of it.
7.74 arcmin
6.68 arcmin
105°

Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici morphological classification

Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici is classified as Intermediate Spiral (SABa) according to the Hubble and de Vaucouleurs galaxy morphological classification. The diagram below shows a visual representation of the position of Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici in the Hubble de Vaucouleurs sequence.

Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici
Visualization of the morphological classification of Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici, Intermediate Spiral (SABa).
Credits for the background image: Antonio Ciccolella / M. De Leo / CC BY

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Messier 94

Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox of Messier 94 are provided in the following table:

12h 50m 53s
+41° 07’ 13”

The simplified sky charts below show the position of Messier 94 in the sky. The first chart has a field of view of 60° while the second one has a field of view of 10°.

Finder chart Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici star
Simplified finder chart for Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici.

Finder chart Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici star
Simplified finder chart for Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici.

Rise and set times of Messier 94 from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Messier 94 (Croc's Eye Galaxy) - Intermediate Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici is circumpolar and transits at 01:02 UTC (altitude: 79.6°)