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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / M52

M52 Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is M52 right now?

M52 is located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 55° toward the north-east, with an apparent magnitude of 6.90.
Twilight begins at 18:58 local time. At that moment, M52 will be 55° above the horizon toward the north-east.

Open the interactive guide to M52’s position and path tonight

M52 visibility on 2026-10-03

M52 Visible all night

M52 rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
M52 is always above the horizon
Sunset	16:47	39°
Civil sunset	17:15	43°
Twilight start (−12°)	17:45	46°
Astronomical observing session begins	18:15	50°
M52 is always above the horizon
Moonrise, 56.5% illuminated	21:14	65°
M52 transit	21:44	66°
Astronomical observing session ends	03:38	33°
Twilight end (−12°)	04:08	29°
Civil sunrise	04:39	26°
Sunrise	05:06	24°
Moonset	12:53	16°

Track M52 position throughout the night

← 3 October 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe M52 changing position in the night sky.

M52 - Open Cluster

M52 is an open cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1774. The cluster contains a rich population of young, hot stars.

M52 spans about 19 light-years across and contains around 200 stars. The cluster is approximately 5,000 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.3, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M52 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

DSS color images combine blue, red and often near-infrared exposures into a composite view.

The images come from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under contract with NASA, using data from UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), European Southern Observatory (ESO), National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M52

Open the step-by-step guide Open the full sky map

M52 Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of M52

Time	18:58
Latitude	37.3541
Longitude	-121.955
Elevation	55°
Azimuth	33°

Here you can see the current position of M52 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.

When Is M52 Visible Throughout the Year?

M52 will remain visible until March 6, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Sun, 4 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	18:13
Astronomical observing session ends	03:36
Astronomical observing duration	9h 23m
Rise	M52 is always up
Set	M52 is always up
Elevation at transit	66°
Transit time	21:40
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 23h 24m 48s", Dec: 61° 35' 35s
Magnitude	7
Constellation	Cassiopeia

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M52, including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also see when M52 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M52

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	23h 24m 48s
Declination	61° 35′ 35″
Magnitude	6.9
Constellation	Cassiopeia
Elevation	54.7°
Azimuth	33.2°

Data Credits

The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.

For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.

Observation Settings