Orion Nebula (M42) Position and Visibility Tonight
Where is Orion Nebula (M42) right now?
Orion Nebula (M42) visibility on 2026-09-06
Orion Nebula (M42) rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Moonset | 14:58 | -41° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 19:00 | -53° |
Moonrise, 31.2% illuminated  | 23:22 | -7° |
| Orion Nebula (M42) rise | 23:57 | |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:12 | 35° |
| Twilight end | 03:44 | 39° |
| Civil sunrise | 04:16 | 43° |
| Sunrise | 04:43 | 45° |
| Orion Nebula (M42) transit | 05:40 | 47° |
Track Orion Nebula (M42) Position Throughout the Night
← 6 September 2026 →
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M42 - Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula (M42) is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc in 1610 and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1769. M42 is one of the brightest nebulae in the sky and can be seen with the naked eye.
M42 spans about 24 light-years across and contains a rich population of young stars, including the Trapezium, a group of four massive stars. The nebula is approximately 1,344 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 4.0, making it a popular target for amateur astronomers.
M42 — Image Gallery
DSS Blue
DSS Red
DSS Near-Infrared
DSS Composite Image
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 Orion Nebula (M42)
| Object name | Orion Nebula (M42) |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| Orion Nebula (M42) coordinates | 5.58791, -5.38967 |
| Center coordinates | 5.58791, -5.38967 |
Orion Nebula (M42) Passage Through Night
Current position of Orion Nebula (M42)
| Time | 15:26 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Elevation | -45° |
| Azimuth | 307° |
When Is Orion Nebula (M42) Visible Throughout the Year?
Orion Nebula (M42) will remain visible until April 10, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.
| Date | Mon, 7 September 2026 |
| Twilight start | 18:58 |
| Twilight end | 03:11 |
| Twilight duration | 8h 13m |
| Rise | 23:57 |
| Set | 11:22 |
| Elevation at transit | 47° |
| Transit time | 05:40 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 05h 35m 16s", Dec: -5° 23' 22s |
| Magnitude | 4 |
| Constellation | Orion |
You can also see when Orion Nebula (M42) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Orion Nebula (M42)
Coordinates and Visibility
| Right Ascension | 05h 35m 16s |
| Declination | -5° 23′ 23″ |
| Magnitude | 4.00 |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Elevation | -45.4° |
| Azimuth | 307.3° |
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.