M41 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M41 right now?

M41 is located in the constellation Canis Major. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 9° toward the south-east, with an apparent magnitude of 4.50.

Open the interactive guide to M41’s position and path tonight

M41 tonight

M41 visibility on 2026-11-01

M41 Visible from before midnight until sunrise

M41 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Astronomical observing session begins	15:02	-54°
Moonrise, 59.7% illuminated	18:38	-13°
M41 rise	19:50
M41 transit	00:35	29°
Astronomical observing session ends	01:29	28°
Twilight end (−12°)	02:01	26°
Civil sunrise	02:33	23°
Sunrise	03:02	20°
M41 set	05:20
Moonset	09:42	-49°

Track M41 position throughout the night

← 1 November 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M41 changing position in the night sky.

M41 - Open Cluster

M41 is an open cluster located in the constellation Canis Major. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently by Charles Messier in 1765. The cluster contains a mix of young, hot stars and older stars.

M41 spans about 25 light-years across and contains around 100 stars. The cluster is approximately 2,300 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 4.5, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M41 — 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.

M41 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M41

Time	20:47
Latitude	39.9612
Longitude	-82.9988
Elevation	9°
Azimuth	127°

Here you can see the current position of M41 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 M41 Visible Throughout the Year?

M41 will remain visible until May 12, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Mon, 2 November 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	14:57
Astronomical observing session ends	01:24
Astronomical observing duration	10h 27m
Rise	19:46
Set	05:16
Elevation at transit	29°
Transit time	00:31
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 06h 45m 59s", Dec: -20° 45' 15s
Magnitude	5
Constellation	Canis Major

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M41, 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 M41 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M41

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	06h 45m 60s
Declination	-20° 45′ 15″
Magnitude	4.5
Constellation	Canis Major
Elevation	9.2°
Azimuth	127.2°

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