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GPS
37.8°/-97.8°
GMT -5
Waning22:32 - 05:17
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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / NGC1981

Upper Sword (NGC1981) Observation Details

NGC1981

NGC1981 Daily Motion

NGC1981 will not be observable tonight. It will reach its transit at 48° by 15:42 and set at 21:28. Throughout the night, from 22:32 to 05:17, it will be below the horizon. NGC1981 will rise again after sunrise, at 09:53.
NGC1981 will become visible in August, 23. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from August, 23, NGC1981 can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.

NGC1981 Visibility Timetable on May 13

NGC1981 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
NGC1981 transit15:4248°
Sunset20:3011°
Moon Rise, 99.7% illuminated20:596°
Civil sunset21:015°
NGC1981 set21:28
Astrosession begin22:15-9°
Astrosession end04:39-54°
Moon Set06:34-38°
NGC1981 rise09:53

Track NGC1981 Position Throughout the Night

← Tue, 13 May 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC1981 changing position in the night sky.

NGC1981 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

NGC1981 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

NGC1981 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

NGC1981 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

NGC1981 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 NGC1981

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Object nameNGC1981
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
NGC1981 coordinates5.586, -4.42506
Center coordinates5.586, -4.42506

NGC1981 Passage Through Night

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Current position of NGC1981

Time22:32
Latitude37.751
Longitude-97.822
NGC1981 elevation-13°
NGC1981 Azimuth86°
Here you can see the current position of the NGC1981 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the NGC1981's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of NGC1981

Time
DateWed, 14 May 2025
Twighlight start22:16
Twighlight end04:36
Twighlight duration6h 20m
Rise09:53
Set21:24
Elevation at transit48°
Transit time15:39
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 05h 35m 09s", Dec: -4° 25' 30s
Magnitude4
ConstellationOrion
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a NGC1981, 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 NGC1981 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.