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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M39

M39 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M39 right now?

M39 is located in the constellation Cygnus. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 49° toward the north-west, with an apparent magnitude of 4.60.
Twilight begins at 00:21 local time. At that moment, M39 will be 49° above the horizon toward the north-west.

Open the interactive guide to M39’s position and path tonight

M39 visibility on 2026-09-20

M39 Visible all night

M39 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 51.4% illuminated	13:23	16°
Sunset	17:07	50°
Civil sunset	17:35	54°
Twilight start (−12°)	18:05	59°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:36	65°
M39 transit	20:43	79°
Moonset	22:40	66°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:26	21°
Twilight end (−12°)	03:57	16°
Civil sunrise	04:28	13°
Sunrise	04:55	9°
M39 set	06:39
M39 rise	10:43

Track M39 position throughout the night

← 20 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M39 changing position in the night sky.

M39 - Open Cluster

M39 is an open cluster located in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. The cluster contains a relatively sparse population of stars compared to other open clusters in Messier's catalog.

M39 spans about 7 light-years across and contains around 30 stars. The cluster is approximately 800 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 4.6, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M39 — 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 M39

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	M39
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M39 coordinates	21.53009, 48.43817
Center coordinates	21.53009, 48.43817

M39 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M39

Time	00:21
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	49°
Azimuth	304°

Here you can see the current position of M39 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 M39 Visible Throughout the Year?

M39 will remain visible until February 3, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Mon, 21 September 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:30
Astronomical observing session ends	03:21
Astronomical observing duration	9h 50m
Rise	10:43
Set	06:35
Elevation at transit	79°
Transit time	20:39
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 21h 31m 48s", Dec: 48° 26' 17s
Magnitude	5
Constellation	Cygnus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M39, 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 M39 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M39

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	21h 31m 48s
Declination	48° 26′ 17″
Magnitude	4.6
Constellation	Cygnus
Elevation	49.3°
Azimuth	303.8°

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