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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) right now?

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) is located in the constellation Orion. Although De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) is currently 12° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) visibility on 2026-08-27

M43 Visible from early morning until sunrise

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 98.6% illuminated	17:09	-54°
Astronomical observing session begins	19:17	-55°
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) rise	00:36
Astronomical observing session ends	03:01	27°
Twilight end	03:35	33°
Moonset	04:01	36°
Civil sunrise	04:07	37°
Sunrise	04:35	41°
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) transit	06:19	47°

Track De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Position Throughout the Night

← 27 August 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) changing position in the night sky.

M43 - De Mairan's Nebula

M43, also known as De Mairan's Nebula, is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan before 1731 and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1769. M43 is part of the Orion Nebula (M42) complex.

M43 spans about 4 light-years across and contains a bright, young star that illuminates the surrounding gas and dust. The nebula is approximately 1,344 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.0, making it visible with a small telescope.

M43 — 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 De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

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Object name	De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) coordinates	5.59205, -5.26747
Center coordinates	5.59205, -5.26747

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Passage Through Night

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Current position of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

Time	11:04
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	12°
Azimuth	254°

Here you can see the current position of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) 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.

Annual motion of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) will remain visible until April 10, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Thu, 27 August 2026
Twilight start	19:13
Twilight end	02:55
Twilight duration	8h 42m
Rise	00:36
Set	12:02
Elevation at transit	47°
Transit time	06:19
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 05h 35m 31s", Dec: -5° 16' 02s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Orion

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43), 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 view detailed visibility information in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	5.59205°
Declination	-5.26747°
Magnitude	9.00
Constellation	Orion
Elevation	12.2°
Azimuth	253.5°

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.

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