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37.4°/-122°
GMT -9
Waning18:37 - 03:39
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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / NGC1981

Upper Sword (NGC1981) Observation Details

NGC1981

NGC1981 Daily Motion

NGC1981 will rise at 00:17, during twilight, and will ascend to 36° by the time twilight ends at 03:39.
NGC1981 will be visible until April, 10, 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.

NGC1981 Visibility Timetable on August 31

NGC1981 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 46.4% illuminated11:58-1°
Astrosession begin19:10-54°
Moon Set21:19-35°
NGC1981 rise00:17
Astrosession end03:0631°
Civil sunrise04:1141°
Sunrise04:3944°
NGC1981 transit06:0248°

Track NGC1981 Position Throughout the Night

← Sun, 31 August 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC1981 changing position in the night sky.

Where is NGC1981 right now?

NGC1981 is located in the constellation Orion, at right ascension 05h 35m 09s" and declination -4° 25' 30s. Although it is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 3 degrees, NGC1981 is not visible because it is daytime.

NGC1981 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

NGC1981 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

NGC1981 photo taken with red filter
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

NGC1981 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

NGC1981 color 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 NGC1981

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Object nameNGC1981
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
NGC1981 coordinates5.586, -4.42506
Center coordinates5.586, -4.42506

NGC1981 Passage Through Night

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Current position of NGC1981

Time11:37
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
NGC1981 elevation3°
NGC1981 Azimuth98°
Here you can see the current position of the NGC1981 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the NGC1981's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of NGC1981

Time
DateSun, 31 August 2025
Twighlight start19:06
Twighlight end02:59
Twighlight duration8h 54m
Rise00:17
Set11:48
Elevation at transit48°
Transit time06:02
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 05h 35m 09s", Dec: -4° 25' 30s
Magnitude4
ConstellationOrion
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a NGC1981, 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 NGC1981 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.

Astrometric & Physical Parameters of NGC1981

Coordinates & Visibility

Right Ascension5.586°
Declination-4.42506°
Magnitude4.20
ConstellationOrion
Elevation2.9°
Azimuth97.8°

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.