Location settings
OH, US
40°/-83°
GMT -5
Waning21:39 - 06:42
🔎
☰
Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M36

M36 Observation Details

M36

M36 Daily Motion


M36 will be visible until May, 3, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M36 Visibility Timetable on January 28

Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 5.2% illuminated06:43-5°
M36 rise13:20
Moon Set15:3721°
Sunset17:4444°
Civil sunset18:1449°
Astrosession begin19:1962°
M36 transit21:3784°
M36 set05:54
Astrosession end06:10-2°

Track M36 Position Throughout the Night

← Tue, 28 January 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M36 changing position in the night sky.

M36 - Open Cluster

M36 is an open cluster located in the constellation Auriga. 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.

M36 spans about 14 light-years across and contains around 60 stars. The cluster is approximately 4,100 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.3, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M36 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M36 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M36 photo taken with red filter
These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M36 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter
These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

M36 color image
DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

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 M36

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameM36
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M36 coordinates5.60493, 34.14075
Center coordinates5.60493, 34.14075

M36 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M36

Time21:39
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M36 elevation84°
M36 Azimuth178°
Here you can see the current position of the M36 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M36's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M36

Time
DateWed, 29 January 2025
Twighlight start19:20
Twighlight end06:08
Twighlight duration11h 48m
Rise13:16
Set05:51
Elevation at transit84°
Transit time21:33
Equatorial coordinateRA: 05h 36m 17s", Dec: 34° 08' 26s
Magnitude6
ConstellationAuriga
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M36, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
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 M36 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.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.