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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Pleiades (M45)

Pleiades (M45) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Pleiades (M45) right now?

Pleiades (M45) is located in the constellation Taurus. Although Pleiades (M45) is currently 19° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.

Pleiades (M45) visibility on 2026-08-21

M45 Visible from early morning until sunrise

Pleiades (M45) rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 49% illuminated	12:56	-6°
Astronomical observing session begins	19:27	-19°
Pleiades (M45) rise	21:34
Moonset	22:12	7°
Astronomical observing session ends	02:54	61°
Twilight end	03:29	68°
Civil sunrise	04:01	73°
Sunrise	04:30	76°
Pleiades (M45) transit	04:54	77°

Track Pleiades (M45) Position Throughout the Night

← 21 August 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe Pleiades (M45) changing position in the night sky.

M45 - Pleiades

The Pleiades (M45), also known as the Seven Sisters, is an open cluster located in the constellation Taurus. It has been known since antiquity and was later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1771. M45 is one of the nearest open clusters to Earth and contains a bright population of stars.

M45 spans about 17.5 light-years across and contains over 1,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 444 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 1.6, making it visible to the naked eye under most skies.

M45 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

DSS color images combine blue, red and often near-infrared exposures into a composite view.

The images come from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under contract with NASA, using data from UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), European Southern Observatory (ESO), National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for Pleiades (M45)

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Object name	Pleiades (M45)
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
Pleiades (M45) coordinates	3.76378, 24.36786
Center coordinates	3.76378, 24.36786

Pleiades (M45) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Pleiades (M45)

Time	10:35
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	19°
Azimuth	287°

Here you can see the current position of Pleiades (M45) on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.

Annual motion of Pleiades (M45)

Pleiades (M45) will remain visible until April 8, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Fri, 21 August 2026
Twilight start	19:23
Twilight end	02:48
Twilight duration	7h 25m
Rise	21:34
Set	12:13
Elevation at transit	77°
Transit time	04:54
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 03h 45m 49s", Dec: 24° 22' 04s
Magnitude	-
Constellation	Taurus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of Pleiades (M45), including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also view detailed visibility information in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Pleiades (M45)

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	3.76378°
Declination	24.36786°
Magnitude
Constellation	Taurus
Elevation	18.6°
Azimuth	286.9°

Data Credits

The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.

For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.

Observation Settings