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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M28

M28 Position and Visibility Tonight

M28

Where is M28 right now?

M28 is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.
Twilight begins at 18:57 local time. At that moment, M28 will be 27° above the horizon toward the south-east.

M28 visibility on 2026-08-18

M28 Visible from sunset until early morning

M28 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
Moonrise, 21% illuminated 09:49-61°
M28 rise15:09
Sunset17:5523°
Civil sunset18:2425°
Twilight start18:5727°
Astronomical observing session begins19:3228°
M28 transit19:4628°
Moonset20:2627°
M28 set00:22
Astronomical observing session ends02:51-27°

Track M28 Position Throughout the Night

← 18 August 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M28 changing position in the night sky.

M28 - Globular Cluster

M28 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. This cluster contains a significant number of variable stars and is known for its high star density.

M28 spans about 60 light-years across and contains tens of thousands of stars. The cluster is approximately 18,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.9, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M28 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M28 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M28 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M28 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M28 — 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 M28

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Object nameM28
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M28 coordinates18.40914, -24.86983
Center coordinates18.40914, -24.86983

M28 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M28

Time07:56
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation-77°
Azimuth9°
Here you can see the current position of M28 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 M28


M28 will remain visible until December 10, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky. Time
DateTue, 18 August 2026
Twilight start19:28
Twilight end02:44
Twilight duration7h 17m
Rise15:05
Set00:18
Elevation at transit28°
Transit time19:42
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 18h 24m 32s", Dec: -24° 52' 11s
Magnitude7
ConstellationSagittarius
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M28, 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 M28

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension18.40914°
Declination-24.86983°
Magnitude6.90
ConstellationSagittarius
Elevation-77.4°
Azimuth9.1°

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.