M36 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M36 right now?

M36 is located in the constellation Auriga. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 48° toward the north-east, with an apparent magnitude of 6.00.

Open the interactive guide to M36’s position and path tonight

M36 tonight

M36 visibility on 2026-10-27

M36 Visible from before midnight until sunrise

M36 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 98.9% illuminated	19:51	-29°
Astronomical observing session begins	20:01	-27°
M36 rise	22:13
M36 transit	04:16	57°
Astronomical observing session ends	05:35	52°
Twilight end (−12°)	06:00	49°
Civil sunrise	06:25	45°
Sunrise	06:47	42°
Moonset	08:26	23°
M36 set	10:18

Track M36 position throughout the night

← 27 October 2026 →

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

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.

M36 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M36

Time	02:22
Latitude	1.35208
Longitude	103.82
Elevation	48°
Azimuth	36°

Here you can see the current position of M36 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 M36 Visible Throughout the Year?

M36 will remain visible until April 29, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Wed, 28 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	19:55
Astronomical observing session ends	05:28
Astronomical observing duration	10h 33m
Rise	22:09
Set	10:14
Elevation at transit	57°
Transit time	04:12
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 05h 36m 17s", Dec: 34° 08' 26s
Magnitude	6
Constellation	Auriga

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M36, 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 M36 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M36

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	05h 36m 18s
Declination	34° 08′ 27″
Magnitude	6
Constellation	Auriga
Elevation	47.8°
Azimuth	36°

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