M35
Where is M35?
Look southeast, about 61° up at 05:17 in Gemini. It rises at 21:49 and climbs through the night.
- Rises
- 21:49
- Highest
- 06:11
- Sets
- 14:37
- Best after dark
- 05:17 · 61°
Can I see M35 tonight?
From London tonight, M35 is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the southeast at 61°.
At magnitude 5.3, with its light spread out, it needs binoculars and a dark sky.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does M35 look like?
Eyes
Under dark skies, a faint patch near the feet of Gemini.
Binoculars
A soft, partially resolved glow.
Telescope
A rich field of stars at low power, with the compact, hazy NGC 2158 nearby.
About M35
M35 is a large, bright open cluster at the feet of Gemini, the Twins, about 2,800 light-years away. It contains several hundred stars.
Right beside it in the same telescope field is NGC 2158, a much older and more distant cluster that appears as a small, faint glow. Comparing the two is a lesson in distance.
M35 is about 150 million years old and spans an area roughly the size of the full Moon. It was discovered in the 1740s.
NGC 2158, its neighbor, is around a billion years or more old and several times farther away, which is why it looks so small and faint. A third, smaller cluster, IC 2157, lies close by.
Because Gemini lies on the ecliptic, planets and the Moon sometimes pass near M35.
The best time to look is on winter evenings from mid-northern latitudes, when Gemini is high.
Nearby in the sky
Questions
What is the faint patch next to M35?
Sources: SkyMate; star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences