M72 Position and Visibility Tonight
Where is M72 right now?
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, M72 will be 29° above the horizon toward the south-east.
M72 visibility on 2026-09-07
M72 rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Moonset | 14:56 | -8° |
| M72 rise | 15:35 | |
| Sunset | 17:27 | 20° |
| Civil sunset | 17:55 | 24° |
| Twilight start | 18:26 | 29° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 18:58 | 33° |
| M72 transit | 20:55 | 40° |
Moonrise, 21% illuminated  | 23:21 | 29° |
| M72 set | 02:16 | |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:13 | -11° |
Track M72 Position Throughout the Night
← 7 September 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
M72 - Globular Cluster
M72 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Aquarius. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. The cluster is known for its relatively low concentration of stars towards its center.
M72 spans about 106 light-years across and contains around 100,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 53,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.3, making it visible with a small telescope.
M72 — Image Gallery
DSS Blue
DSS Red
DSS Near-Infrared
DSS Composite Image
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 M72
| Object name | M72 |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| M72 coordinates | 20.89109, -12.53706 |
| Center coordinates | 20.89109, -12.53706 |
M72 Passage Through Night
Current position of M72
| Time | 13:29 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Elevation | -25° |
| Azimuth | 87° |
When Is M72 Visible Throughout the Year?
M72 will remain visible until December 15, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.
| Date | Mon, 7 September 2026 |
| Twilight start | 18:54 |
| Twilight end | 03:07 |
| Twilight duration | 8h 13m |
| Rise | 15:32 |
| Set | 02:12 |
| Elevation at transit | 40° |
| Transit time | 20:52 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 20h 53m 27s", Dec: -12° 32' 13s |
| Magnitude | 9 |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
You can also see when M72 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M72
Coordinates and Visibility
| Right Ascension | 20h 53m 28s |
| Declination | -12° 32′ 13″ |
| Magnitude | 8.96 |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Elevation | -25° |
| Azimuth | 86.9° |
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.