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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Upper Sword (NGC1981)

Upper Sword (NGC1981) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is NGC1981 right now?

NGC1981 is located in the constellation Orion. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to NGC1981’s position and path tonight

NGC1981 visibility on 2026-10-17

NGC1981 Visible from before midnight until sunrise

NGC1981 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 25.9% illuminated	11:16	-29°
Astronomical observing session begins	17:55	-38°
Moonset	20:29	-9°
NGC1981 rise	21:13
NGC1981 transit	02:58	48°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:51	46°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:21	44°
Civil sunrise	04:51	41°
Sunrise	05:19	37°
NGC1981 set	08:44

Track NGC1981 position throughout the night

← 17 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC1981 changing position in the night sky.

NGC1981 — 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.

Finder Chart for NGC1981

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	NGC1981
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
NGC1981 coordinates	5.586, -4.42506
Center coordinates	5.586, -4.42506

Upper Sword (NGC1981) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Upper Sword (NGC1981)

Time	16:10
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	-53°
Azimuth	30°

Here you can see the current position of NGC1981 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 Upper Sword (NGC1981) Visible Throughout the Year?

NGC1981 will remain visible until April 11, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Sun, 18 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	17:54
Astronomical observing session ends	03:49
Astronomical observing duration	10h 55m
Rise	21:09
Set	08:40
Elevation at transit	48°
Transit time	02:55
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 05h 35m 09s", Dec: -4° 25' 30s
Magnitude	4
Constellation	Orion

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of NGC1981, 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 NGC1981 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of NGC1981

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	05h 35m 10s
Declination	-4° 25′ 30″
Magnitude	4.2
Constellation	Orion
Elevation	-53.4°
Azimuth	30.1°

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