Tonight

Greenwich, London — Saturday, 23 May 2026

Top-rated objects visible tonight, sorted by observing quality

Levels for 80 mm Refractor in Greenwich, London — set your equipment

Showing the sky from Greenwich, London. Log in to use your own location and save objects to plans and lists.

Beginners' Picks

The easiest and most impressive objects tonight — perfect for beginners.

Moon

Moon Moon

Naked Eye

Look for craters along the terminator — they appear in 3D through any telescope.

mag -12.0 39° Leo

Jupiter

Planet Planet

Naked Eye

Even binoculars show four Galilean moons as tiny dots beside the planet.

mag -1.9 25° Gemini

Venus

Planet Planet

Naked Eye

Dazzling even in twilight. A telescope shows crescent phases like a tiny Moon.

mag -3.9 16° Gemini

M39

OpenCluster Pyramid Cluster

Naked Eye

Located about 9 degrees east-northeast of Deneb (Alpha Cygni) in a rich Milky Way field.

mag 4.6 18° Cygnus

M13

GlobularCluster Great Hercules Cluster

Binoculars

Located along the western edge of the Keystone asterism in Hercules, about one-third of the way from Eta to Zeta Herculis.

mag 5.8 46° Hercules

M81

Galaxy Bode's Galaxy

Binoculars

Located about 10 degrees northwest of Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris).

mag 6.9 63° Ursa Major

M57

PlanetaryNebula Ring Nebula

Small Telescope

Easy to locate between Beta and Gamma Lyrae (the two bottom stars of the Lyra parallelogram).

mag 8.8 24° Lyra

GlobularCluster Rose Cluster

Binoculars

Located about 23 arcminutes north-northwest of the star 5 Serpentis.

mag 5.6 31° Serpens

M44

OpenCluster Beehive Cluster or Praesepe

Naked Eye

Visible to the naked eye as a hazy patch between Gamma and Delta Cancri, in the center of the constellation Cancer.

mag 3.7 33° Cancer

M31

Galaxy Andromeda Galaxy

Binoculars

Visible to the naked eye from dark sites as an elongated fuzzy patch in the constellation Andromeda.

mag 3.4 3° Andromeda

Solar System

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Moon Moon Easy	95	Easy	-12.0	circ	—	39°	Leo
2	Jupiter Planet Easy	92	Easy	-1.9	circ	—	25°	Gemini
3	Venus Planet Easy	82	Easy	-3.9	circ	—	16°	Gemini
4	Mercury Planet Easy	55	Easy	-1.3	circ	—	2°	Taurus
5	Egeria Asteroid Medium	10	Medium	10.0	circ	—	32°	Virgo
6	Interamnia Asteroid Hard	10	Hard	10.7	circ	—	5°	Virgo
7	Massalia Asteroid Hard	10	Hard	10.7	circ	—	39°	Virgo
8	Eunomia Asteroid Hard	10	Hard	10.8	circ	—	24°	Leo

Jupiter

mag -1.9 · 25° alt · Gemini

Great Red Spot Transits

Galilean Moon Events (48h)

Time	Moon	Event
	Callisto	Occultation begins
	Io	Occultation begins
	Callisto	Occultation ends
	Io	Occultation ends
	Europa	Shadow transit begins
	Europa	Transit begins
	Europa	Shadow transit ends
	Io	Shadow transit begins
	Io	Transit begins
	Io	Shadow transit ends
	Europa	Transit ends
	Europa	Shadow transit begins
	Io	Transit ends
	Io	Shadow transit begins
	Europa	Shadow transit ends
	Io	Shadow transit ends

Open Jupiter page

Double Stars

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Gamma And HIP 9640; Gamma2 Andromedae; 57 Andromedae Easy	89	Easy	4.8	circ	—	5°	And
2	Albireo HIP 95951; Beta2 Cygni; 6 Cygni Easy	83	Easy	5.1	circ	—	15°	Cyg
3	95 Her Easy	81	Easy	5.0	circ	—	24°	Her
4	Castor HIP 36850; Alpha Geminorum; 66 Geminorum Easy	79	Easy	2.0	circ	—	32°	Gem
5	Mizar Zeta UMa (BS5054) Easy	77	Easy	2.3	circ	—	83°	UMa
6	Algieba HIP 50583; Gamma1 Leonis; 41 Leonis Easy	77	Easy	2.6	circ	—	47°	Leo
7	HIP 207 Easy	77	Easy	5.9	circ	—	28°	Cas
8	HIP 108456 Easy	76	Easy	7.0	circ	—	46°	Cep
9	16 Cyg Easy	75	Easy	6.0	circ	—	31°	Cyg
10	Achird HIP 3821; Eta Cassiopeiae; 24 Cassiopeiae Easy	74	Easy	3.4	circ	—	19°	Cas
11	Rasalgethi HIP 84345; Alpha1 Herculis; 64 Herculis Easy	74	Easy	3.5	circ	—	25°	Her
12	Porrima HIP 61941; Gamma Virginis; 29 Virginis Medium	73	Medium	3.6	circ	—	37°	Vir
13	Miram Eta Per Easy	72	Easy	3.8	circ	—	20°	Per
14	Alya HIP 92946; Theta1 Serpentis; 63 Serpentis Easy	72	Easy	4.6	circ	—	2°	Ser
15	Rho Oph HIP 80473; Rho Ophiuchi; 5 Ophiuchi Medium	72	Medium	5.0	circ	—	1°	Oph
16	100 Her Easy	72	Easy	5.9	circ	—	26°	Her
17	Pi Boo HIP 71762; Pi Bootis; 29 Bootis Easy	71	Easy	4.9	circ	—	48°	Boo
18	24 Com Easy	71	Easy	5.0	circ	—	57°	Com
19	Iota Cnc HIP 43103; Iota Cancri; 48 Cancri Easy	70	Easy	4.0	circ	—	41°	Cnc
20	HIP 62572 Easy	70	Easy	5.3	circ	—	58°	Cam

Variable Stars

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Blaze Star HR 5958 Hard	86	Hard	10.0	circ	—	46°	CrB
2	R Hya Hard	84	Hard	5.0	circ	—	15°	Hya
3	R Leo Hard	82	Hard	6.0	circ	—	36°	Leo
4	Algol HIP 14576; Beta Persei; 26 Persei Easy	80	Easy	2.1	circ	—	7°	Per
5	3 Gem Medium	78	Medium	5.8	circ	—	13°	Gem
6	R Aql Very Hard	78	Very Hard	6.1	circ	—	3°	Aql
7	30 Her Easy	77	Easy	5.0	circ	—	52°	Her
8	Sheliak HIP 92420; Beta Lyrae; 10 Lyrae Easy	76	Easy	3.5	circ	—	25°	Lyr
9	T Cep Hard	76	Hard	7.3	circ	—	36°	Cep
10	T Cen Medium	74	Medium	6.0	circ	—	4°	Cen
11	X Oph Medium	74	Medium	6.4	circ	—	8°	Oph
12	U Sge Medium	74	Medium	6.6	circ	—	10°	Sge
13	R Cnc Very Hard	74	Very Hard	7.1	circ	—	23°	Cnc
14	13 Lyr Easy	73	Easy	4.0	circ	—	32°	Lyr
15	Delta Cep Medium	72	Medium	3.8	circ	—	23°	Cep
16	Mekbuda Zeta Gem Medium	70	Medium	3.8	circ	—	19°	Gem
17	68 Her Medium	70	Medium	4.8	circ	—	39°	Her
18	Zuben El Akribi HIP 73473; Delta Librae; 19 Librae Medium	70	Medium	4.9	circ	—	23°	Lib
19	RY Dra Easy	70	Easy	5.9	circ	—	75°	Dra
20	T Mon Medium	70	Medium	6.0	circ	—	2°	Mon

Open Clusters

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M39 Pyramid Cluster Easy	90	Easy	4.6	circ	—	18°	Cygnus
2	C28 NGC 752 Easy	86	Easy	5.7	circ	—	1°	Andromeda
3	M48 NGC 2548 Easy	85	Easy	5.5	circ	—	9°	Hydra
4	M44 Beehive Cluster or Praesepe Easy	84	Easy	3.7	circ	—	33°	Cancer
5	M35 Shoe-Buckle Cluster Easy	83	Easy	5.3	circ	—	13°	Gemini
6	C50 NGC 2244 Easy	82	Easy	4.8	circ	—	2°	Monoceros
7	M34 Spiral Cluster Easy	81	Easy	5.5	circ	—	8°	Perseus
8	C16 NGC 7243 Easy	81	Easy	6.4	circ	—	16°	Lacerta
9	M37 Salt and Pepper Cluster Easy	78	Easy	6.2	circ	—	17°	Auriga
10	Double Cluster NGC 869 Easy	77	Easy	4.3	circ	—	20°	Perseus
11	M67 King Cobra or Golden Eye Cluster Easy	76	Easy	6.1	circ	—	28°	Cancer
12	C10 NGC 663 Easy	73	Easy	7.1	circ	—	23°	Cassiopeia
13	C37 NGC 6885 Easy	72	Easy	6.0	circ	—	8°	Vulpecula
14	M36 Pinwheel Cluster Easy	72	Easy	6.3	circ	—	17°	Auriga
15	Coma Star Cluster Easy	71	Easy	1.8	circ	—	64°	Coma Berenices
16	Tweedledee Cluster NGC 6633 Easy	71	Easy	4.6	circ	—	8°	Oph
17	Rosette nebula NGC 2239 Easy	71	Easy	4.8	circ	—	2°	Mon
18	NGC 2244 Easy	71	Easy	4.8	circ	—	2°	Mon
19	M38 Starfish Cluster Easy	71	Easy	7.4	circ	—	17°	Auriga
20	Alpha Persei Cluster Easy	70	Easy	1.2	circ	—	17°	Perseus

Globular Clusters

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M13 Great Hercules Cluster Easy	89	Easy	5.8	circ	—	46°	Hercules
2	M5 Rose Cluster Easy	86	Easy	5.6	circ	—	31°	Serpens
3	M3 NGC 5272 Easy	83	Easy	6.2	circ	—	65°	Canes Venatici
4	M10 NGC 6254 Easy	83	Easy	6.6	circ	—	13°	Ophiuchus
5	M12 NGC 6218 Easy	80	Easy	6.7	circ	—	16°	Ophiuchus
6	M92 NGC 6341 Easy	75	Easy	6.4	circ	—	45°	Hercules
7	M53 NGC 5024 Easy	73	Easy	7.6	circ	—	56°	Coma Berenices
8	M68 NGC 4590 Easy	73	Easy	7.8	circ	—	12°	Hydra
9	M14 NGC 6402 Easy	68	Easy	7.6	circ	—	8°	Ophiuchus
10	M80 NGC 6093 Easy	65	Easy	7.3	circ	—	2°	Scorpius
11	M107 Crucifix Cluster Easy	65	Easy	7.9	circ	—	9°	Ophiuchus
12	NGC 5897 Easy	65	Easy	8.6	circ	—	10°	Lib
13	M71 Angelfish Cluster Easy	56	Easy	8.2	circ	—	5°	Sagitta
14	M56 NGC 6779 Easy	56	Easy	8.3	circ	—	19°	Lyra
15	NGC 5466 Medium	54	Medium	9.1	circ	—	63°	Boo
16	NGC 5053 Medium	54	Medium	9.8	circ	—	56°	Com
17	NGC 5824 Medium	46	Medium	9.0	circ	—	0°	Lup
18	NGC 6539 Medium	46	Medium	9.6	circ	—	0°	Ser
19	NGC 6366 Medium	43	Medium	10.0	circ	—	8°	Oph
20	C66 NGC 5694 Medium	39	Medium	10.2	circ	—	8°	Hydra

Galaxies

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M81 Bode's Galaxy Easy	87	Easy	6.9	circ	—	63°	Ursa Major
2	M31 Andromeda Galaxy Easy	83	Easy	3.4	circ	—	3°	Andromeda
3	M83 Southern Pinwheel Galaxy Hard	81	Hard	7.6	circ	—	8°	Hydra
4	M101 Pinwheel Galaxy Hard	80	Hard	7.9	circ	—	78°	Ursa Major
5	M51 Whirlpool Galaxy Hard	78	Hard	8.4	circ	—	82°	Canes Venatici
6	M64 Black Eye Galaxy Easy	78	Easy	8.5	circ	—	60°	Coma Berenices
7	M63 Sunflower Galaxy Easy	78	Easy	8.6	circ	—	79°	Canes Venatici
8	M66 Leo Triplet Easy	78	Easy	8.9	circ	—	48°	Leo
9	M106 NGC 4258 Easy	77	Easy	8.4	circ	—	84°	Canes Venatici
10	Whale Galaxy NGC 4631 Medium	76	Medium	9.3	circ	—	71°	Canes Venatici
11	Needle Galaxy NGC 4565 Medium	76	Medium	9.6	circ	—	64°	Coma Berenices
12	M104 NGC 4594 Easy	75	Easy	8.3	circ	—	27°	Vir
13	C7 NGC 2403 Easy	75	Easy	8.4	circ	—	50°	Camelopardalis
14	M65 Leo Triplet Medium	75	Medium	9.3	circ	—	48°	Leo
15	M94 Crocodile Eye or Cat's Eye Galaxy Easy	74	Easy	8.2	circ	—	80°	Canes Venatici
16	C30 NGC 7331 Medium	73	Medium	9.5	circ	—	0°	Pegasus
17	M82 Cigar Galaxy Easy	72	Easy	8.4	circ	—	63°	Ursa Major
18	Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6946 Hard	72	Hard	8.9	circ	—	32°	Cepheus
19	C3 NGC 4236 Hard	72	Hard	9.7	circ	—	72°	Draco
20	NGC 2903 Easy	71	Easy	8.9	circ	—	42°	Leo

Planetary Nebulae

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M57 Ring Nebula Easy OIII	87	Easy OIII	8.8	circ	—	24°	Lyra
2	M27 Dumbbell Nebula Easy	80	Easy	7.4	circ	—	7°	Vulpecula
3	M97 Owl Nebula Hard OIII	78	Hard OIII	9.9	circ	—	76°	Ursa Major
4	Blue Snowball NGC 7662 Medium OIII	77	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	6°	And
5	NGC 6543 Medium OIII	73	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	50°	Dra
6	Ghost of Jupiter NGC 3242 Medium OIII	72	Medium OIII	7.8	circ	—	13°	Hydra
7	M76 Little Dumbbell Nebula Hard OIII	71	Hard OIII	10.1	circ	—	14°	Perseus
8	Blinking Planetary NGC 6826 Medium OIII	70	Medium OIII	8.8	circ	—	30°	Cygnus
9	Eskimo Nebula NGC 2392 Medium OIII	67	Medium OIII	9.2	circ	—	23°	Gemini
10	Cat's Eye Nebula NGC 6543 Medium OIII	64	Medium OIII	8.1	circ	—	50°	Draco
11	NGC 1514 Hard OIII	61	Hard OIII	10.0	circ	—	4°	Tau
12	NGC 4361 Hard OIII	61	Hard OIII	10.0	circ	—	20°	Crv
13	NGC 6210 Medium OIII	52	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	37°	Her
14	NGC 6572 Medium OIII	47	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	11°	Oph

Nebulae

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Iris Nebula NGC 7023 Medium	69	Medium	6.8	circ	—	37°	Cepheus
2	Sh2-155 C9 Hard OIII	67	Hard OIII	7.7	circ	—	26°	Cepheus
3	Rosette Nebula NGC 2237 Medium OIII	66	Medium OIII	6.0	circ	—	2°	Monoceros
4	NGC 281 Medium OIII	64	Medium OIII	7.0	circ	—	18°	Cas
5	Crescent nebula NGC 6888 Medium OIII	64	Medium OIII	7.4	circ	—	18°	Cyg
6	IC 4604 rho Oph nebula Medium	63	Medium	5.1	circ	—	1°	Oph
7	North America Nebula NGC 7000 Medium OIII	61	Medium OIII	5.0	circ	—	18°	Cygnus
8	IC 4592 Medium	58	Medium	3.9	circ	—	6°	Sco
9	California nebula NGC 1499 Medium OIII	56	Medium OIII	5.0	circ	—	8°	Per
10	Cocoon Nebula IC 5146 Hard OIII	51	Hard OIII	10.0	circ	—	15°	Cygnus
11	Pelican nebula IC 5070 Very Hard OIII	49	Very Hard OIII	8.0	circ	—	18°	Cyg
12	Bubble Nebula NGC 7635 Very Hard OIII	49	Very Hard OIII	11.0	circ	—	24°	Cassiopeia
13	NGC 2247 Medium	40	Medium	8.5	circ	—	6°	Mon
14	IC 1470 Very Hard OIII	40	Very Hard OIII	11.5	circ	—	24°	Cep
15	Hubble's Variable Nebula NGC 2261 Hard	37	Hard	10.0	circ	—	6°	Monoceros
16	NGC 2245 Very Hard	36	Very Hard	11.0	circ	—	6°	Mon
17	NGC 2282 Hard OIII	30	Hard OIII	10.0	circ	—	1°	Mon

Aurora Forecast

Very unlikely

Current Kp

0.3

Quiet

Min. Kp needed

Kp 7

at 51°N

IMF Bz

2.4 nT

Northward

G Scale

Geomagnetic

Geomagnetic activity far below the Kp 7 needed at your latitude.

Full aurora forecast Data: NOAA SWPC

Meteor Showers

Eta Aquariids ETA Peak was 17 days ago

ZHR ~50 Best 3 AM (6°) 83% Radiant

Daytime Arietids ARI Peak in 15 days

ZHR ~30 Best 3 AM (-9°) 63% Radiant

View all meteor showers