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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M68

M68 Observation Details

M68 Daily Motion

Tonight, observing M68 may prove challenging owing to its low elevation. It will reach its transit at by 08:20 and set before sunset at 12:39. Rising near twilight's end at 03:56, it will fade away by 06:34, peaking at just 19° above the horizon.
M68 will be visible until January, 1, 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.

M68 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
M68 transit	08:20	23°
M68 Set	12:39
Astrosession begin	18:10	-60°
M68 Rise	03:56
Astrosession end	06:34	19°
Civil sunrise	07:07	21°
Sunrise	07:39	23°

Track M68 Position Throughout the Night

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M68 changing position in the night sky.

M68 - Globular Cluster

M68 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Hydra. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780. The cluster contains a rich population of old stars.

M68 spans about 106 light-years across and contains around 100,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 33,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.8, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M68 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

M68 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 M68

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Object name	M68
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M68 coordinates	12.65778, -26.74303
Center coordinates	12.65778, -26.74303

M68 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M68

Time	12:40
Latitude	39.9625
Longitude	-83.0061
M68 elevation	-0°
M68 Azimuth	126°

Here you can see the current position of the M68 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M68's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M68

Date	Wed, 4 December 2024
Twighlight start	18:39
Twighlight end	05:55
Twighlight duration	11h 16m
Rise	03:56
Set	12:35
Elevation at transit	23°
Transit time	08:16
Equatorial coordinate	RA: 12h 39m 28s", Dec: -26° 44' 34s
Magnitude	8
Constellation	Hydra

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M68, 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 M68 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