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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M23

M23 Position and Visibility Tonight

M23

Where is M23 right now?

M23 is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.
Twilight begins at 18:51 local time. At that moment, M23 will be 34° above the horizon toward the south.

M23 visibility on 2026-08-22

M23 Visible from sunset until early morning

M23 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
Moonrise, 58.6% illuminated 13:52-2°
M23 rise14:04
Sunset17:5031°
Civil sunset18:1933°
Twilight start18:5134°
M23 transit19:0234°
Astronomical observing session begins19:2633°
Moonset22:5911°
M23 set00:01
Astronomical observing session ends02:55-34°

Track M23 Position Throughout the Night

← 22 August 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M23 changing position in the night sky.

M23 - Open Cluster

M23 is an open cluster located in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. The cluster contains a rich population of stars of various ages and types.

M23 spans about 20 light-years across and contains around 150 stars. The cluster is approximately 2,150 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.

M23 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M23 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M23 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M23 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M23 — composite color 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 M23

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameM23
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M23 coordinates17.95133, -18.98533
Center coordinates17.95133, -18.98533

M23 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M23

Time13:50
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation-3°
Azimuth112°
Here you can see the current position of M23 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 M23


M23 will remain visible until October 4, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky. Time
DateSat, 22 August 2026
Twilight start19:21
Twilight end02:49
Twilight duration7h 28m
Rise14:00
Set23:57
Elevation at transit34°
Transit time18:59
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 17h 57m 04s", Dec: -18° 59' 07s
Magnitude6
ConstellationSagittarius
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M23, 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 M23

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension17.95133°
Declination-18.98533°
Magnitude5.50
ConstellationSagittarius
Elevation-2.6°
Azimuth112°

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.