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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M56

M56 Observation Details

M56

M56 Daily Motion

M56 will reach its transit before twilight, at 15:43. By the onset of twilight at 18:13, it will be at elevation, and it will set before sunrise, at 23:38.
M56 will be visible until December, 29, 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.

M56 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
M56 transit15:4380°
Sunset17:0970°
Civil sunset17:4064°
Astrosession begin18:1358°
M56 Set23:38
Astrosession end06:22-10°
M56 Rise07:43

Track M56 Position Throughout the Night

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M56 changing position in the night sky.

M56 - Globular Cluster

M56 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Lyra. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1779. The cluster contains a rich population of old stars.

M56 spans about 84 light-years across and contains around 230,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 32,900 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.3, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M56 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M56 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M56 photo taken with red filter
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

M56 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

M56 color 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 M56

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Object nameM56
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M56 coordinates19.27653, 30.1845
Center coordinates19.27653, 30.1845

M56 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M56

Time07:01
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M56 elevation-6°
M56 Azimuth-41°
Here you can see the current position of the M56 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M56's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M56

Time
DateFri, 22 November 2024
Twighlight start18:42
Twighlight end05:44
Twighlight duration11h 2m
Rise07:43
Set23:34
Elevation at transit80°
Transit time15:39
Equatorial coordinateRA: 19h 16m 35s, Dec: 30° 11' 04"
Magnitude8
ConstellationLyra
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M56, 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 M56 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.