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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M53

M53 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M53 right now?

M53 is located in the constellation Coma Berenices. Although M53 is currently 71° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, M53 will be 21° above the horizon toward the west.

Open the interactive guide to M53’s position and path tonight

M53 visibility on 2026-09-07

M53 Visible from sunset until early morning

M53 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M53 transit	13:16	71°
Moonset	14:56	61°
Sunset	17:27	32°
Civil sunset	17:55	27°
Twilight start	18:26	21°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:58	14°
M53 set	20:13
Moonrise, 21% illuminated	23:21	-28°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:13	-28°
M53 rise	06:15

Track M53 Position Throughout the Night

← 7 September 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M53 changing position in the night sky.

M53 - Globular Cluster

M53 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1775 and independently by Charles Messier in 1777. The cluster contains a rich population of old stars.

M53 spans about 220 light-years across and contains around 500,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 58,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.6, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M53 — 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 M53

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Object name	M53
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M53 coordinates	13.21534, 18.16911
Center coordinates	13.21534, 18.16911

M53 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M53

Time	13:29
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	71°
Azimuth	189°

Here you can see the current position of M53 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 M53 Visible Throughout the Year?

M53 will become visible again around November 9 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Mon, 7 September 2026
Twilight start	18:54
Twilight end	03:07
Twilight duration	8h 13m
Rise	06:15
Set	20:09
Elevation at transit	71°
Transit time	13:12
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 13h 12m 55s", Dec: 18° 10' 08s
Magnitude	8
Constellation	Coma Berenices

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M53, 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 M53 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M53

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	13h 12m 55s
Declination	18° 10′ 09″
Magnitude	7.79
Constellation	Coma Berenices
Elevation	70.6°
Azimuth	188.9°

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