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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M52

M52 Observation Details

M52 Daily Motion

M52 is circumpolar, never setting below the horizon and always visible in the night sky from your location. However, it will change its position significantly, moving 57 degrees over time. You can find the best times to observe M52, when it reaches its highest elevation, in the annual motion section.
M52 will be visible until March, 9, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M52 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
M52 is always above the horizon
Sunset	17:09	57°
Civil sunset	17:40	61°
Astrosession begin	18:13	64°
M52 is always above the horizon
M52 transit	19:50	68°
Astrosession end	06:22	13°
Civil sunrise	06:56	12°
Sunrise	07:27	12°

Track M52 Position Throughout the Night

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M52 changing position in the night sky.

M52 - Open Cluster

M52 is an open cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1774. The cluster contains a rich population of young, hot stars.

M52 spans about 19 light-years across and contains around 200 stars. The cluster is approximately 5,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.3, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M52 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M52 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter

These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M52

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Object name	M52
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M52 coordinates	23.41344, 61.59317
Center coordinates	23.41344, 61.59317

M52 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M52

Time	06:19
Latitude	39.9625
Longitude	-83.0061
M52 elevation	13°
M52 Azimuth	11°

Here you can see the current position of the M52 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M52's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M52

Date	Fri, 22 November 2024
Twighlight start	18:42
Twighlight end	05:44
Twighlight duration	11h 2m
Rise	M52 is always up
Set	M52 is always up
Elevation at transit	68°
Transit time	19:50
Equatorial coordinate	RA: 23h 24m 48s, Dec: 61° 35' 35"
Magnitude	7
Constellation	Cassiopeia

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M52, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M52 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.

Observation Settings