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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M48

M48 Observation Details

M48

M48 Daily Motion

M48 will reach transit at 18:17. By the time twilight starts at 21:38 it will be at an elevation of 26° degrees and will set at 23:58, before twilight ends.
M48 will become visible in September, 26. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from September, 26, M48 can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.

M48 Visibility Timetable on May 14

M48 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
M48 transit18:1746°
Sunset20:3136°
Civil sunset21:0232°
Moon Rise, 98% illuminated22:0122°
Astrosession begin22:1719°
M48 set23:58
Astrosession end04:37-51°
Moon Set07:14-55°
M48 rise12:32

Track M48 Position Throughout the Night

← Wed, 14 May 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M48 changing position in the night sky.

M48 - Open Cluster

M48 is an open cluster located in the constellation Hydra. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771. The cluster contains a mix of young, hot stars and older stars.

M48 spans about 23 light-years across and contains around 80 stars. The cluster is approximately 1,500 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 5.5, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M48 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M48 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M48 photo taken with red filter
These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M48 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter
These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

M48 color image
DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

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 M48

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Object nameM48
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M48 coordinates8.22866, -5.75044
Center coordinates8.22866, -5.75044

M48 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M48

Time06:45
Latitude37.751
Longitude-97.822
M48 elevation-57°
M48 Azimuth-12°
Here you can see the current position of the M48 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M48's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M48

Time
DateWed, 14 May 2025
Twighlight start22:12
Twighlight end04:32
Twighlight duration6h 20m
Rise12:32
Set23:54
Elevation at transit46°
Transit time18:13
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 08h 13m 43s", Dec: -5° 45' 01s
Magnitude6
ConstellationHydra
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M48, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M48 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.