Barbell Nebula (M76) Observation Details

M76 Daily Motion

M76 is circumpolar, never setting below the horizon and always visible in the night sky from your location. However, it will change its position significantly, moving 77 degrees over time. You can find the best times to observe M76, when it reaches its highest elevation, in the annual motion section.
M76 will become visible in May, 25. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from May, 25, M76 can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.

M76 Visibility Timetable on May 24

M76 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
M76 is always above the horizon
Moon Rise, 20% illuminated	04:12	23°
M76 transit	11:08	78°
Moon Set	18:12	22°
Sunset	20:46	7°
Civil sunset	21:19	4°
Astrosession begin	22:43	2°
M76 is always above the horizon
Astrosession end	04:14	23°
Civil sunrise	05:38	35°
Sunrise	06:10	40°

Track M76 Position Throughout the Night

← Sat, 24 May 2025 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M76 changing position in the night sky.

M76 - Little Dumbbell Nebula

The Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76) is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M76 is one of the fainter objects in the Messier catalog.

M76 spans about 1.23 light-years across and contains a central white dwarf star surrounded by a shell of ionized gas. The nebula is approximately 2,500 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.1, making it visible with a small telescope.

Finder Chart for M76

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Object name	M76
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M76 coordinates	1.70547, 51.57547
Center coordinates	1.70547, 51.57547

M76 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M76

Time	06:01
Latitude	39.9625
Longitude	-83.0061
M76 elevation	38°
M76 Azimuth	-50°

Here you can see the current position of the M76 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M76's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M76

Date	Sun, 25 May 2025
Twighlight start	22:39
Twighlight end	04:08
Twighlight duration	5h 29m
Rise	M76 is always up
Set	M76 is always up
Elevation at transit	78°
Transit time	11:00
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 01h 42m 19s", Dec: 51° 34' 31s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Perseus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M76, 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 M76 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