M23 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M23 right now?

M23 is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 6° toward the south-west, with an apparent magnitude of 5.50.

Open the interactive guide to M23’s position and path tonight

M23 tonight

M23 visibility on 2026-10-23

M23 Visible from sunset until before midnight

M23 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 80.5% illuminated	14:26	33°
M23 transit	14:59	34°
Sunset	16:20	31°
Civil sunset	16:47	28°
Twilight start (−12°)	17:18	25°
Astronomical observing session begins	17:48	21°
M23 set	19:57
Moonset	02:40	-71°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:56	-68°
M23 rise	09:56

Track M23 position throughout the night

← 23 October 2026 →

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

Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite 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.

M23 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M23

Time	19:24
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	6°
Azimuth	241°

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.

When Is M23 Visible Throughout the Year?

M23 will become visible again around March 8 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Sat, 24 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	17:46
Astronomical observing session ends	03:54
Astronomical observing duration	10h 8m
Rise	09:56
Set	19:53
Elevation at transit	34°
Transit time	14:55
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 17h 57m 04s", Dec: -18° 59' 07s
Magnitude	6
Constellation	Sagittarius

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 see when M23 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M23

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	17h 57m 05s
Declination	-18° 59′ 07″
Magnitude	5.5
Constellation	Sagittarius
Elevation	5.9°
Azimuth	240.6°

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.

Observation Settings