M79 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M79 right now?

M79 is located in the constellation Lepus. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to M79’s position and path tonight

M79 tonight

M79 visibility on 2026-11-02

M79 Visible from before midnight until sunrise

M79 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 48.5% illuminated	01:05	57°
Moonset	13:29	-61°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:58	-22°
M79 rise	20:35
M79 transit	02:34	65°
Astronomical observing session ends	04:28	53°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:53	48°
Civil sunrise	05:18	43°
Sunrise	05:41	39°
M79 set	08:33

Track M79 position throughout the night

← 2 November 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M79 changing position in the night sky.

M79 - Globular Cluster

M79 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Lepus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. The cluster contains a rich population of old stars.

M79 spans about 118 light-years across and contains around 150,000 stars. The cluster is approximately 41,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.7, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M79 — 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.

M79 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M79

Time	18:14
Latitude	0
Longitude	0
Elevation	-32°
Azimuth	119°

Here you can see the current position of M79 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 M79 Visible Throughout the Year?

M79 will remain visible until April 29, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Tue, 3 November 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:55
Astronomical observing session ends	04:24
Astronomical observing duration	9h 29m
Rise	20:31
Set	08:29
Elevation at transit	65°
Transit time	02:30
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 05h 24m 10s", Dec: -24° 31' 27s
Magnitude	8
Constellation	Lepus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M79, 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 M79 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M79

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	05h 24m 11s
Declination	-24° 31′ 27″
Magnitude	8.16
Constellation	Lepus
Elevation	-31.8°
Azimuth	119.2°

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