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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M22

M22 Observation Details

M22

M22 Daily Motion

Tonight, observing M22 may prove challenging owing to its low elevation. It will reach its transit at by 08:57 and set before sunset at 13:29. Rising near twilight's end at 04:21, it will fade away by 06:14, peaking at just 16° above the horizon.
M22 will be visible until January, 1, 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.

M22 Visibility Timetable on February 23

M22 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 34.4% illuminated03:37-8°
M22 transit08:5726°
Moon Set12:1711°
M22 set13:29
Astrosession begin19:46-68°
M22 rise04:21
Astrosession end05:4312°
Civil sunrise06:4620°
Sunrise07:1422°

Track M22 Position Throughout the Night

← Sun, 23 February 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M22 changing position in the night sky.

M22 - Sagittarius Cluster

The Sagittarius Cluster (M22) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Abraham Ihle in 1665 and included in Messier's catalog in 1764. M22 is one of the brightest and closest globular clusters to Earth.

M22 spans about 97 light-years across and contains over 100,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 10,600 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 5.1, making it visible to the naked eye and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M22 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M22 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

M22 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

M22 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

M22 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 M22

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Object nameM22
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M22 coordinates18.60672, -23.90342
Center coordinates18.60672, -23.90342

M22 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M22

Time12:34
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M22 elevation8°
M22 Azimuth131°
Here you can see the current position of the M22 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M22's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M22

Time
DateSun, 23 February 2025
Twighlight start19:42
Twighlight end05:38
Twighlight duration10h 56m
Rise04:21
Set13:25
Elevation at transit26°
Transit time08:53
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 18h 36m 24s", Dec: -23° 54' 12s
Magnitude6
ConstellationSagittarius
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M22, 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 M22 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.