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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M4

M4 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M4 right now?

M4 is located in the constellation Scorpius. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.
Twilight begins at 18:02 local time. At that moment, M4 will be 16° above the horizon toward the south-west.

Open the interactive guide to M4’s position and path tonight

M4 visibility on 2026-09-22

M4 Visible from sunset until before midnight

M4 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 69.9% illuminated	14:39	25°
M4 transit	15:27	26°
Sunset	17:04	22°
Civil sunset	17:32	20°
Twilight start (−12°)	18:02	16°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:33	13°
M4 set	19:57
Moonset	00:43	-54°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:28	-79°
M4 rise	10:54

Track M4 position throughout the night

← 22 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M4 changing position in the night sky.

M4 - Globular Cluster

M4 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Scorpius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1746 and included in Messier's catalog in 1764. M4 is one of the closest globular clusters to Earth.

M4 spans about 75 light-years across and contains tens of thousands of stars. The cluster is approximately 7,200 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 5.9, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M4 — 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 M4

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Object name	M4
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M4 coordinates	16.39317, -26.52553
Center coordinates	16.39317, -26.52553

M4 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M4

Time	06:18
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-53°
Azimuth	86°

Here you can see the current position of M4 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 M4 Visible Throughout the Year?

M4 will remain visible until November 4, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Tue, 22 September 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:29
Astronomical observing session ends	03:21
Astronomical observing duration	9h 53m
Rise	10:54
Set	19:53
Elevation at transit	26°
Transit time	15:23
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 16h 23m 35s", Dec: -26° 31' 31s
Magnitude	5
Constellation	Scorpius

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M4, 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 M4 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M4

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	16h 23m 35s
Declination	-26° 31′ 32″
Magnitude	5.4
Constellation	Scorpius
Elevation	-52.9°
Azimuth	85.5°

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