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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M34

M34 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M34 right now?

M34 is located in the constellation Perseus. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.
Twilight begins at 18:28 local time. At that moment, M34 will be 4° above the horizon toward the north-east.

Open the interactive guide to M34’s position and path tonight

M34 visibility on 2026-09-06

M34 Visible from evening until sunrise

M34 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonset	14:58	-10°
M34 rise	17:49
Civil sunset	17:56	1°
Twilight start	18:28	4°
Astronomical observing session begins	19:00	8°
Moonrise, 31.2% illuminated	23:22	51°
M34 transit	02:47	85°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:12	83°
Twilight end	03:44	78°
Civil sunrise	04:16	72°
Sunrise	04:43	67°

Track M34 Position Throughout the Night

← 6 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M34 changing position in the night sky.

M34 - Open Cluster

M34 is an open cluster located in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654 and independently by Charles Messier in 1764. The cluster contains a mix of young, hot stars and older stars.

M34 spans about 14 light-years across and contains around 100 stars. The cluster is approximately 1,500 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.

M34 — 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.

Finder Chart for M34

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Object name	M34
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M34 coordinates	2.70206, 42.74614
Center coordinates	2.70206, 42.74614

M34 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M34

Time	15:25
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-9°
Azimuth	7°

Here you can see the current position of M34 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 M34 Visible Throughout the Year?

M34 will remain visible until April 4, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Mon, 7 September 2026
Twilight start	18:58
Twilight end	03:11
Twilight duration	8h 13m
Rise	17:45
Set	11:41
Elevation at transit	85°
Transit time	02:43
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 02h 42m 07s", Dec: 42° 44' 46s
Magnitude	5
Constellation	Perseus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M34, 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 M34 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M34

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	02h 42m 07s
Declination	42° 44′ 46″
Magnitude	5.20
Constellation	Perseus
Elevation	-9.5°
Azimuth	6.8°

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