Sky Tonight

Santa Clara, US
37.4°/-122°
GMT -9

⌕

☾

Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / NGC6888

Crescent Nebula (NGC6888) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Crescent Nebula right now?

Crescent Nebula (NGC6888) is located in the constellation Cygnus. At the current time, it is above the horizon at an altitude of 72 degrees toward the west from your location, with an apparent magnitude of 7.44.
Twilight begins at 02:00 local time, and at that moment, NGC6888 will appear at an altitude of 72 degrees toward the west.

NGC6888 Visibility on May 19

NGC6888 is visible late in the evening before midnight

NGC6888 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moon Rise, 2.3% illuminated	05:14	70°
NGC6888 rise	19:03
Twighlight start	19:18	2°
Astrosession begin	19:57	7°
Moon Set	21:07	18°
Astrosession end	02:10	74°
Twighlight end	02:49	82°
Civil sunrise	03:26	89°
NGC6888 transit	03:31	89°
Sunrise	03:57	85°

Track NGC6888 Position Throughout the Night

← Tue, 19 May 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe NGC6888 changing position in the night sky.

NGC6888 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

NGC6888 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 NGC6888

Double-click to unlock the map.

Object name	NGC6888
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
NGC6888 coordinates	20.20182, 38.35494
Center coordinates	20.20182, 38.35494

NGC6888 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of NGC6888

Time	02:00
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
NGC6888 elevation	72°
NGC6888 Azimuth	-80°

Here you can see the current position of the NGC6888 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the NGC6888's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of NGC6888

NGC6888 will be visible until January, 12, 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	Wed, 20 May 2026
Twighlight start	19:54
Twighlight end	02:03
Twighlight duration	6h 10m
Rise	18:59
Set	11:54
Elevation at transit	89°
Transit time	03:27
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 20h 12m 06s", Dec: 38° 21' 17s
Magnitude	7
Constellation	Cygnus

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a NGC6888, 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 NGC6888 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 NGC6888

Coordinates & Visibility

Right Ascension	20.20182°
Declination	38.35494°
Magnitude	7.44
Constellation	Cygnus
Elevation	72°
Azimuth	-79.8°

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.

Observation Settings