Barbell Nebula (M76) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M76 right now?

M76 is located in the constellation Perseus. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 63° toward the north-east, with an apparent magnitude of 10.10.
Twilight begins at 00:07 local time. At that moment, M76 will be 63° above the horizon toward the north-east.

M76 visibility on 2026-08-30

M76 Visible from sunset until before midnight

M76 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M76 rise	15:20
Sunset	17:39	9°
Civil sunset	18:07	12°
Moonrise, 96.4% illuminated	18:23	14°
Twilight start	18:39	16°
Astronomical observing session begins	19:12	20°
M76 transit	02:15	76°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:05	73°
Twilight end	03:38	70°
Civil sunrise	04:10	65°
Sunrise	04:38	61°
Moonset	07:13	37°

Track M76 Position Throughout the Night

← 30 August 2026 →

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

Barbell Nebula (M76) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Barbell Nebula (M76)

Time	00:07
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	63°
Azimuth	47°

Here you can see the current position of M76 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.

Annual motion of Barbell Nebula (M76)

M76 will remain visible until March 28, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Mon, 31 August 2026
Twilight start	19:06
Twilight end	02:59
Twilight duration	8h 53m
Rise	15:16
Set	13:06
Elevation at transit	76°
Transit time	02:11
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 01h 42m 19s", Dec: 51° 34' 31s
Magnitude	10
Constellation	Perseus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M76, 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 view detailed visibility information in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M76

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	1.70547°
Declination	51.57547°
Magnitude	10.10
Constellation	Perseus
Elevation	63.3°
Azimuth	47.5°

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.

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