M44: Rise, Set, Nighttime Path
M44 Daily Motion
M44 will become visible in September, 13. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from September, 13, M44 can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.
M44 Rise and Set Timetable
Time | Elevation | |
Sunset | 20:49 | 2° |
Astrosession begin | 03:46 | -24° |
Astrosession end | 05:17 | -13° |
M44 Rise | 06:40 | |
M44 transit | 13:48 | 70° |
M44 Sky Tracker Map
Time | |
Altitude | |
Azimuth |
M44 - Beehive Cluster
The Beehive Cluster (M44), also known as Praesepe, is an open cluster located in the constellation Cancer. It was observed by Ptolemy in ancient times and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1769. M44 is one of the nearest open clusters to Earth and contains a rich population of stars.
M44 spans about 23 light-years across and contains over 1,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 610 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 3.7, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies.
M44 Image Gallery
DSS Blue
DSS Red
DSS Near-Infrared
DSS Composite image
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 M44
Object name | M44 |
Field of view | |
Limiting magnitude | |
M44 coordinates | 8.67283, 19.67206 |
Center coordinates | 8.67283, 19.67206 |
M44 Passage Through Night
Current position of M44
Time | 03:46 |
Latitude | 39.9625 |
Longitude | -83.0061 |
M44 elevation | -24° |
M44 Azimuth | -30° |
Annual motion of M44
Date | Sun, 28 July 2024 |
Twighlight start | 22:36 |
Twighlight end | 04:31 |
Twighlight duration | 6h 55m |
Rise | 06:36 |
Set | 20:53 |
Elevation at transit | 70° |
Transit time | 13:44 |
Equatorial coordinate | RA: 08h 40m 22s, Dec: 19° 40' 19" |
Magnitude | 3 |
Constellation | Cancer |