Sky Tonight

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NGC6281 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is NGC6281 right now?

NGC6281 is located in the constellation Scorpius. Although NGC6281 is currently 47° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Twilight begins at 18:33 local time. At that moment, NGC6281 will be 19° above the horizon toward the south-west.

Open the interactive guide to NGC6281’s position and path tonight

NGC6281 tonight

NGC6281 visibility on 2026-11-04

NGC6281 Visible from sunset until before midnight

NGC6281 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonrise, 27.3% illuminated	01:50	-52°
NGC6281 transit	14:09	52°
Moonset	14:12	52°
Sunset	17:46	27°
Civil sunset	18:08	23°
Twilight start (−12°)	18:33	19°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:58	14°
NGC6281 set	20:08
Astronomical observing session ends	04:28	-40°
NGC6281 rise	08:06

Track NGC6281 position throughout the night

← 4 November 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC6281 changing position in the night sky.

NGC6281 — 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.

NGC6281 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of NGC6281

Time	12:42
Latitude	0
Longitude	0
Elevation	47°
Azimuth	155°

Here you can see the current position of NGC6281 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 NGC6281 Visible Throughout the Year?

NGC6281 will become visible again around January 26 after moving far enough from the Sun.

Date	Thu, 5 November 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:55
Astronomical observing session ends	04:24
Astronomical observing duration	9h 29m
Rise	08:06
Set	20:04
Elevation at transit	52°
Transit time	14:05
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 17h 04m 41s", Dec: -37° 59' 06s
Magnitude	5
Constellation	Scorpius

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of NGC6281, 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 NGC6281 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of NGC6281

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	17h 04m 41s
Declination	-37° 59′ 07″
Magnitude	5.4
Constellation	Scorpius
Elevation	47.1°
Azimuth	154.6°

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