Butterfly Cluster (M6) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Butterfly Cluster (M6) right now?

Butterfly Cluster (M6) is located in the constellation Scorpius. Although Butterfly Cluster (M6) is currently 44° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 19:36 local time. At that moment, Butterfly Cluster (M6) will be 32° above the horizon toward the south-west.

Open the interactive guide to Butterfly Cluster (M6)’s position and path tonight

Butterfly Cluster (M6) tonight

Butterfly Cluster (M6) visibility on 2026-10-28

Butterfly Cluster (M6) Visible from sunset until before midnight

Butterfly Cluster (M6) rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Butterfly Cluster (M6) transit	16:18	56°
Sunset	18:49	41°
Civil sunset	19:11	37°
Twilight start (−12°)	19:36	32°
Astronomical observing session begins	20:01	27°
Moonrise, 95.2% illuminated	20:52	17°
Butterfly Cluster (M6) set	22:13
Astronomical observing session ends	05:35	-54°
Moonset	09:30	-10°
Butterfly Cluster (M6) rise	10:18

Track Butterfly Cluster (M6) position throughout the night

← 28 October 2026 →

Time
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Shift the map to change the time and observe Butterfly Cluster (M6) changing position in the night sky.

M6 - Butterfly Cluster

The Butterfly Cluster (M6) is an open cluster located in the constellation Scorpius. It was first recorded by Giovanni Battista Hodierna before 1654 and later included in Messier's catalog in 1764. The cluster's arrangement of stars is said to resemble the shape of a butterfly.

M6 spans about 12 light-years across and contains around 80 stars. The cluster is approximately 1,600 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 4.2, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M6 — 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.

Butterfly Cluster (M6) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Butterfly Cluster (M6)

Time	14:08
Latitude	1.35208
Longitude	103.82
Elevation	44°
Azimuth	140°

Here you can see the current position of Butterfly Cluster (M6) 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 Butterfly Cluster (M6) Visible Throughout the Year?

Butterfly Cluster (M6) will remain visible until November 1, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Thu, 29 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	19:59
Astronomical observing session ends	05:32
Astronomical observing duration	10h 33m
Rise	10:18
Set	22:09
Elevation at transit	56°
Transit time	16:14
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 17h 40m 20s", Dec: -32° 15' 15s
Magnitude	4
Constellation	Scorpius

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of Butterfly Cluster (M6), 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 Butterfly Cluster (M6) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Butterfly Cluster (M6)

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	17h 40m 21s
Declination	-32° 15′ 15″
Magnitude	4.2
Constellation	Scorpius
Elevation	44.5°
Azimuth	140.5°

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.

Observation Settings