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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / NGC1980

Lower Sword (NGC1980) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Lower Sword right now?

Lower Sword (NGC1980) is located in the constellation Orion. Although it is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 45 degrees, NGC1980 is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 17:01 local time, and at that moment, NGC1980 will appear at an altitude of 47 degrees toward the south.

NGC1980 Visibility on March 05

NGC1980 is visible from sunset through most of the night

NGC1980 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
NGC1980 rise	11:10
Sunset	16:03	45°
Civil sunset	16:30	46°
NGC1980 transit	16:51	47°
Astrosession begin	17:31	46°
Moon Rise, 97.5% illuminated	17:41	45°
NGC1980 set	22:32
Astrosession end	03:06	-51°
Moon Set	05:28	-57°

Track NGC1980 Position Throughout the Night

← Thu, 5 March 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC1980 changing position in the night sky.

NGC1980 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

NGC1980 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 NGC1980

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	NGC1980
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
NGC1980 coordinates	5.59055, -5.90989
Center coordinates	5.59055, -5.90989

NGC1980 Passage Through Night

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Current position of NGC1980

Time	16:02
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
NGC1980 elevation	45°
NGC1980 Azimuth	-162°

Here you can see the current position of the NGC1980 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the NGC1980's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of NGC1980

NGC1980 will be visible until April, 9, 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.

Date	Fri, 6 March 2026
Twighlight start	17:31
Twighlight end	03:03
Twighlight duration	10h 32m
Rise	11:06
Set	22:28
Elevation at transit	47°
Transit time	16:47
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 05h 35m 25s", Dec: -5° 54' 35s
Magnitude	3
Constellation	Orion

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a NGC1980, 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 NGC1980 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.
You can also view detailed visibility information in a dedicated table, including exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric & Physical Parameters of NGC1980

Coordinates & Visibility

Right Ascension	5.59055°
Declination	-5.90989°
Magnitude	2.50
Constellation	Orion
Elevation	45.2°
Azimuth	-162.3°

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