M55 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M55 right now?

M55 is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 12° toward the south-west, with an apparent magnitude of 6.49.

Open the interactive guide to M55’s position and path tonight

M55 tonight

M55 visibility on 2026-10-23

M55 Visible from sunset until before midnight

M55 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M55 rise	12:31
Moonrise, 80.5% illuminated	14:26	15°
Sunset	16:20	21°
M55 transit	16:41	22°
Civil sunset	16:47	22°
Twilight start (−12°)	17:18	21°
Astronomical observing session begins	17:48	20°
M55 set	20:52
Moonset	02:40	-65°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:56	-79°

Track M55 position throughout the night

← 23 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M55 changing position in the night sky.

M55 - Globular Cluster

M55 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1752 and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1778. The cluster contains a rich population of old stars.

M55 spans about 100 light-years across and contains around 100,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 17,600 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.3, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M55 — 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.

M55 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M55

Time	19:24
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	12°
Azimuth	215°

Here you can see the current position of M55 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 M55 Visible Throughout the Year?

M55 will remain visible until December 21, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Sat, 24 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	17:46
Astronomical observing session ends	03:54
Astronomical observing duration	10h 8m
Rise	12:27
Set	20:48
Elevation at transit	22°
Transit time	16:37
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 19h 39m 59s", Dec: -30° 57' 43s
Magnitude	6
Constellation	Sagittarius

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M55, 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 M55 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M55

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	19h 39m 59s
Declination	-30° 57′ 43″
Magnitude	6.49
Constellation	Sagittarius
Elevation	11.8°
Azimuth	214.9°

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