🌌 35 brightest galaxies in the night sky

Also see list of 91 galaxies for a list of notable named galaxies.

Messier Galaxies

These are the brightest and most interesting galaxies listed in the Messier Catalog. Messier galaxies are predominately found in the northern hemisphere.

1. Galaxy / Magnitude (m)
2. Constellation

1. Andromeda Satellite (10.0)
2. Andromeda

1. Andromeda Satellite (10.0)
2. Andromeda

1. Andromeda Galaxy (4.5)
2. Andromeda

1. Sunflower Galaxy (8.5)
2. Canes Venatici

1. Cetus A (10.5)
2. Cetus

1. Blackeye Galaxy (9.0)
2. Coma Berenices

1. Spindle Galaxy (10.5)
2. Draco

1. Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (8.5)
2. Hydra

1. Leo Triplet (10.5)
2. Leo

1. Leo Triplet (10.0)
2. Leo

1. Triangulum Galaxy (7.0)
2. Triangulum

1. Cigar Galaxy (9.5)
2. Ursa Major

1. Bode's Galaxy (8.5)
2. Ursa Major

1. Pinwheel Galaxy (8.5)
2. Ursa Major

1. Whirlpool Galaxy (8.0)
2. Ursa Major

1. Sombrero Galaxy (9.5)
2. Virgo

1. Virgo A (11.0)
2. Virgo

Caldwell Galaxies

These are the brightest and most interesting galaxies listed in the Caldwell Catalog. Caldwell galaxies are predominately found in the southern hemisphere.

1. Galaxy / Magnitude (m)
2. Constellation

1. Whale galaxy (9.3)
2. Canes Venatici

1. Centaurus A (7)
2. Centaurus

1. Fireworks Galaxy (8.9)
2. Cepheus

1. In Coma Cluster (11)
2. Coma Berenices

1. Needle Galaxy (9.6)
2. Coma Berenices

1. Antenna Galaxies (10)
2. Corvus

1. Antenna Galaxies (13)
2. Corvus

1. Perseus A (11)
2. Perseus

1. Barnard's galaxy (8.8)
2. Sagittarius

1. Sculptor Galaxy (7.1)
2. Sculptor

1. Whale galaxy (7.9)
2. Sculptor

1. Spindle galaxy (9.1)
2. Sextans

Herschel Galaxies

These are the brightest and most interesting galaxies listed in the Herschell 400 Catalog. Herschel galaxies are generally fainter and harder to spot than Messier and Caldwell galaxies.

1. Galaxy / Magnitude (m)
2. Constellation

1. Hockey Stick Galaxy (10.)
2. Canes Venatici

1. The Eyes (10.)
2. Virgo

Milky Way Satellite Galaxies

Our Milky Way Galaxy has a number of smaller galaxies that orbit it. These are the brightest. For a list of all satellite galaxies, see Milky Way & Andromeda Satellite Galaxies.