Open star cluster · Canis Major

Messier 41

M41 · NGC 2287

Above the horizon after darkHighest after dark 05:17 · south · 15°

Join the waitlistSkyMate is coming to iPhone

Where is Messier 41?

Times for LondonChange city

Look south, about 15° up at 05:17 in Canis Major. It rises at 02:38 and climbs through the night.

From London tonight, Messier 41 is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the south at 15°.

At magnitude 4.5, 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.

A small group or hazy patch of stars, clearer from a dark site.

A scatter of stars; often the best view.

Many separate stars. Use your lowest magnification.

What you’re likely to see, not what a space telescope photographs. General guidance from catalog brightness and size, not a forecast for tonight.

Messier 41 (M41) is a open star cluster in Canis Major, with a total brightness of magnitude 4.5 and an apparent size of 12′.

Sources: OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0); star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences