Coathanger
Where is Coathanger?
Look southwest, about 57° up at 20:20 in Vulpecula. It sinks lower through the evening and sets at 03:23.
- Rises
- 11:31
- Highest
- 19:29
- Sets
- 03:23
- Best after dark
- 20:20 · 57°
Can I see Coathanger tonight?
From London tonight, Coathanger is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest soon after dark, around 20:20, in the southwest at 57°.
At magnitude 3.6, with its light spread over an area of sky, it can be seen by eye from a dark site; light pollution hides it quickly.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does Coathanger look like?
Eyes
Under dark skies, a small hazy patch.
Binoculars
Perfect: the coat hanger shape is instantly obvious and fits neatly in the field.
Telescope
Too large for most telescope fields at normal magnification. Use the lowest power or a finder scope.
About Coathanger
The Coathanger is a charming pattern of about ten stars that looks like an upside-down coat hanger: a straight line of six stars with a little hook of four below.
Despite being cataloged as Collinder 399 and also known as Brocchi’s Cluster, it is not a true cluster. Its stars lie at very different distances and just happen to line up from our point of view. Patterns like this are called asterisms.
It lies in a rich part of the summer Milky Way, on the border of Vulpecula and Sagitta.
Its brightest stars are around magnitude 5 to 6, including one distinctly orange star in the hook. The pattern spans about a degree, twice the width of the full Moon.
The Persian astronomer al-Sufi recorded it in the 10th century. The name Brocchi’s Cluster comes from a 20th-century chart maker for variable-star observers. Distance measurements show its stars range from a few hundred to over a thousand light-years away.
Nearby in the sky
Questions
Is the Coathanger a real star cluster?
What is the best way to see the Coathanger?
Sources: SkyMate; star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences