M3: Rise, Set, Nighttime Path
M3 Daily Motion
M3 will reach transit at 15:11. By the time twilight starts at 20:15 it will be at an elevation of 27° degrees and will set at 22:53, before twilight ends.M3 will become visible in November, 9. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from November, 9, M3 can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.
M3 Rise and Set Timetable
Time | Elevation | |
M3 transit | 15:11 | 79° |
Sunset | 19:16 | 39° |
Civil sunset | 19:44 | 33° |
Astrosession begin | 20:15 | 27° |
M3 Set | 22:53 | |
Astrosession end | 05:54 | -12° |
M3 Rise | 07:24 |
M3 Sky Tracker Map
Time | |
Altitude | |
Azimuth |
M3 - Globular Cluster
M3 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. M3 is one of the most outstanding globular clusters, notable for its large number of variable stars.
Spanning about 180 light-years across, M3 contains around 500,000 stars. It is approximately 33,900 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.2, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope. The cluster is best observed in the northern hemisphere during the spring months.
M3 Image Gallery
DSS Blue
DSS Red
DSS Near-Infrared
DSS Composite image
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 M3
Object name | M3 |
Field of view | |
Limiting magnitude | |
M3 coordinates | 13.70312, 28.37544 |
Center coordinates | 13.70312, 28.37544 |
M3 Passage Through Night
Current position of M3
Time | 19:58 |
Latitude | 39.0469 |
Longitude | -77.4903 |
M3 elevation | 31° |
M3 Azimuth | 77° |
Annual motion of M3
Date | Mon, 16 September 2024 |
Twighlight start | 20:43 |
Twighlight end | 05:16 |
Twighlight duration | 9h 33m |
Rise | 07:24 |
Set | 22:49 |
Elevation at transit | 79° |
Transit time | 15:07 |
Equatorial coordinate | RA: 13h 42m 11s, Dec: 28° 22' 31" |
Magnitude | 6 |
Constellation | CanesVenatici |
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 M3 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.