🌟 A Galaxy with History
M63 was discovered in 1779 by Pierre Méchain and became one of the earliest galaxies where astronomers recognized spiral structure. Observing it is not just a chance to enjoy a deep-sky treasure but also to connect with a key milestone in astronomy’s story.

🌟 Beautiful Dust-Laced Structure
What makes M63 stand out are the dark dust lanes that ripple across its spiral arms, creating the mottled, petal-like pattern that inspired its nickname. While faint visually, these features reveal themselves to patient observers in larger telescopes, offering a rewarding challenge for visual stargazing.

🌟 A Bright, Accessible Target
At magnitude 8.6, M63 is within reach of small to medium telescopes and appears as a condensed, oval-shaped glow under modest magnification. Its bright central core ensures that even beginners can spot it from reasonably dark skies, making it both accessible and rewarding.

🌟 A Favorite for Astrophotographers
The Sunflower Galaxy shines under long-exposure photography, revealing far more than the eye can see. Extended spiral arms, delicate dust patterns, and even tidal shells from interactions with smaller galaxies become visible, making it a stunning subject for anyone with imaging equipment.

🌟 Well-Placed in the Spring Sky
Located in Canes Venatici, M63 is perfectly positioned for observation during spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. Its placement near other Messier highlights like M51 and M94 makes it easy to include in a galaxy-hopping session, adding variety to any observing night.

The easiest way to find Messier M63 is by using the Big Dipper as a guide.

Find the Big Dipper and Alkaid (+1.86), the end star of the Dipper's handle. Look below the handle about 11° for Cor Caroli (+2.89). This is the brightest star of the constellation Canes Venatici.

What you do in this step depends on how dark your sky is.

Option 1: If your skies are dark enough, find the star 20 CVn (+4.71) about 4° from Cor Caroli in the direction of Alkaid. Using a telescope finder, point to it.

Option 2: Using a telescope finder, point to Cor Caroli. Using a finder or low-powered eyepiece, hop about 4° to 20 CVn (+4.71).

Notice that 20 CVn, with three nearby stars, form a triangle that points in the direction of M63. In a low-powered eyepiece, hop 1° to the target. M63 appears as a small, dim patch of light, but centering it and then switching to higher magnification will reveal its oval glow and bright nucleus.

✅ Use Canes Venatici as Your Guide
Messier 63 sits in the small constellation of Canes Venatici, just below the handle of the Big Dipper. Starting from Alkaid, the last star in the Dipper’s handle, sweep downward with binoculars or a telescope to enter the right neighborhood.

✅ Begin with Low Power
Like many galaxies, M63 shows up best at first with low magnification. Use a wide-field eyepiece to spot it as an oval glow with a bright center before zooming in for detail.

✅ Increase Magnification for Texture
Once centered, increase magnification to look for the mottled texture in its disk. On steady nights with a medium or larger telescope, you may glimpse the uneven glow caused by its dust lanes.

✅ Seek Dark, Clear Skies
The Sunflower Galaxy benefits greatly from dark conditions. In suburban skies it can look like a faint smudge, but in rural skies its oval shape and brightness stand out clearly, with much more contrast.

✅ Pair It with Other Nearby Galaxies
M63 sits in a galaxy-rich region. After observing it, swing over to the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) or M94 to enjoy a variety of spiral structures in one observing session, making your night under the stars more rewarding.

❌ Naked Eye
To the naked eye, Messier 63 is invisible. Even under the darkest skies, it lies far beyond the reach of unaided vision, blending into the faint backdrop of Canes Venatici without a trace.

⚠️ Binoculars
In binoculars, the galaxy appears as a faint, elongated smudge, only slightly brighter than the surrounding sky. Its oval form can be discerned with patience, but no detail emerges beyond its subtle glow.

✅ Small Telescope
With a small telescope, M63 begins to show character. The bright central core stands out against its diffuse halo, giving it the appearance of a small, elongated nebula. The sunflower-like pattern remains

✅ Medium Telescope
Through a medium telescope, the galaxy becomes more rewarding. The concentrated nucleus shines strongly, and the disk takes on a mottled texture. Careful observing may reveal hints of the unevenness caused by its dust lanes, especially under dark skies.

✅ Large Telescope
In a large telescope, M63 shows its true personality. The glowing, golden core is surrounded by a richly textured disk, with dark lanes giving the outer regions a patchy, petal-like appearance. While subtle compared to the sweeping arms of galaxies like M51, the sunflower pattern finally becomes clear, making the galaxy a memorable spring target.

🟣 In Bortle 1–2 skies, M63 is striking. The bright core shines strongly, and the disk shows uneven brightness, with mottled light hinting at the dark dust lanes that give it its floral appearance. With patience, its full oval form and textured halo stand out clearly.

🔵 In Bortle 3–4 skies, the galaxy remains rewarding but with less contrast. The bright center is easy to see, and the elongated glow is obvious, though the mottling in the arms requires careful attention and higher magnification.

🟢/🟡 In Bortle 5–6 skies, the galaxy fades noticeably. It appears as a faint oval glow with a condensed nucleus, but the outer halo is washed out and the sunflower-like texture is largely lost. Observing becomes more about identifying its shape than enjoying its detail.

🟠/🔴 In Bortle 7+ skies, M63 is extremely difficult to enjoy. At best, it appears as a dim, hazy patch with a slightly brighter center, easily overlooked by casual observers. The richness that makes it memorable vanishes almost entirely under urban light pollution.