M4: Rise, Set, Nighttime Path
![M4](https://sky-tonight.com/image/card/nebula/M4/M4.png)
M4 Daily Motion
M4 will be visible until January, 1, 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.
M4 Rise and Set Timetable
Time | Elevation | |
M4 Rise | 17:14 | |
Sunset | 20:49 | 23° |
Civil sunset | 21:21 | 23° |
M4 transit | 21:34 | 24° |
M4 Set | 01:55 | |
Astrosession begin | 04:09 | -23° |
Astrosession end | 05:17 | -36° |
M4 Sky Tracker Map
Time | |
Altitude | |
Azimuth |
M4 - Globular Cluster
M4 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Scorpius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1746 and included in Messier's catalog in 1764. M4 is one of the closest globular clusters to Earth.
M4 spans about 75 light-years across and contains tens of thousands of stars. The cluster is approximately 7,200 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 5.9, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.
M4 Image Gallery
DSS Blue
![M4 photo taken with blue filter](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_blue/M4.webp)
DSS Red
![M4 photo taken with red filter](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_red/M4.webp)
DSS Near-Infrared
![M4 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_nir/M4.webp)
DSS Composite image
![M4 color image](https://sky-tonight.com/images/nebulae/256/dss_color/M4.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 M4
Object name | M4 |
Field of view | |
Limiting magnitude | |
M4 coordinates | 16.39317, -26.52553 |
Center coordinates | 16.39317, -26.52553 |
M4 Passage Through Night
Current position of M4
Time | 04:09 |
Latitude | 39.9625 |
Longitude | -83.0061 |
M4 elevation | -23° |
M4 Azimuth | 106° |
Annual motion of M4
Date | Sun, 28 July 2024 |
Twighlight start | 22:36 |
Twighlight end | 04:31 |
Twighlight duration | 6h 55m |
Rise | 17:10 |
Set | 01:51 |
Elevation at transit | 24° |
Transit time | 21:30 |
Equatorial coordinate | RA: 16h 23m 35s, Dec: -26° 31' 31" |
Magnitude | 5 |
Constellation | Scorpius |