Location settings
OH, US
40°/-83°
GMT -4
Waning23:56 - 06:26
🔎
☰
Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M18

M18 Observation Details

M18

M18 Daily Motion

M18 will rise at 02:35, during twilight, and will ascend to 31° by the time twilight ends at 06:26.
M18 will be visible until October, 9, 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.

M18 Visibility Timetable on March 26

M18 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 21.3% illuminated05:3126°
Moon Set15:27-32°
Astrosession begin21:21-58°
M18 rise02:35
Astrosession end05:5328°
Civil sunrise06:5832°
Sunrise07:2633°
M18 transit07:3533°
M18 set12:34

Track M18 Position Throughout the Night

← Wed, 26 March 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M18 changing position in the night sky.

M18 - Open Cluster

M18 is an open cluster located in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. The cluster contains a mix of young, hot stars and older stars.

M18 spans about 8 light-years across and contains around 20 stars. The cluster is approximately 4,900 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.5, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M18 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M18 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

M18 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

M18 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

M18 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 M18

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameM18
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M18 coordinates18.33291, -17.10197
Center coordinates18.33291, -17.10197

M18 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M18

Time23:56
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M18 elevation-30°
M18 Azimuth-88°
Here you can see the current position of the M18 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M18's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M18

Time
DateThu, 27 March 2025
Twighlight start21:22
Twighlight end05:50
Twighlight duration8h 29m
Rise02:31
Set12:30
Elevation at transit33°
Transit time07:31
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 18h 19m 58s", Dec: -17° 06' 07s
Magnitude7
ConstellationSagittarius
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M18, 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 M18 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.