M3: Rise, Set, Nighttime Path
![M3](https://sky-tonight.com/image/card/nebula/M3/M3.png)
M3 Daily Motion
M3 will not be observable tonight. It will reach its transit at 78° by 18:53 and set at 02:40. Throughout the night, from 03:38 to 05:17, it will be below the horizon. M3 will rise again after sunrise, at 11:03.M3 will be visible until September, 10, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.
M3 Rise and Set Timetable
Time | Elevation | |
M3 transit | 18:53 | 78° |
Sunset | 20:49 | 63° |
Civil sunset | 21:21 | 57° |
M3 Set | 02:40 | |
Astrosession begin | 03:38 | -8° |
Astrosession end | 05:17 | -18° |
M3 Rise | 11:03 |
M3 Sky Tracker Map
Time | |
Altitude | |
Azimuth |
M3 - Globular Cluster
M3 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. M3 is one of the most outstanding globular clusters, notable for its large number of variable stars.
Spanning about 180 light-years across, M3 contains around 500,000 stars. It is approximately 33,900 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.2, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope. The cluster is best observed in the northern hemisphere during the spring months.
M3 Image Gallery
DSS Blue
![M3 photo taken with blue filter](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_blue/M3.webp)
DSS Red
![M3 photo taken with red filter](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_red/M3.webp)
DSS Near-Infrared
![M3 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_nir/M3.webp)
DSS Composite image
![M3 color image](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_color/M3.webp)
The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).
Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.
Finder Chart for M3
Object name | M3 |
Field of view | |
Limiting magnitude | |
M3 coordinates | 13.70312, 28.37544 |
Center coordinates | 13.70312, 28.37544 |
M3 Passage Through Night
Current position of M3
Time | 03:38 |
Latitude | 39.9625 |
Longitude | -83.0061 |
M3 elevation | -8° |
M3 Azimuth | 42° |
Annual motion of M3
Date | Sun, 28 July 2024 |
Twighlight start | 22:36 |
Twighlight end | 04:31 |
Twighlight duration | 6h 55m |
Rise | 11:03 |
Set | 02:36 |
Elevation at transit | 78° |
Transit time | 18:49 |
Equatorial coordinate | RA: 13h 42m 11s, Dec: 28° 22' 31" |
Magnitude | 6 |
Constellation | CanesVenatici |