Open star cluster · Puppis

Messier 46

M46 · NGC 2437

Above the horizon after darkHighest after dark 05:17 · southeast · 16°

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Where is Messier 46?

Times for LondonChange city

Look southeast, about 16° up at 05:17 in Puppis. It rises at 02:58 and climbs through the night.

From London tonight, Messier 46 is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the southeast at 16°.

At magnitude 6.1, 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.

Not visible

Too faint to see by eye.

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 46 (M46) is a open star cluster in Puppis, with a total brightness of magnitude 6.1 and an apparent size of 21′ (0.7× the full Moon).

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