Tonight

Greenwich, London — Tuesday, 28 July 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 -12.7 5° Sagittarius

OpenCluster Butterfly Cluster

Naked Eye

Located about 5 degrees north of the Scorpion's stinger, near M7.

mag 4.2 6° Scorpius

M22

GlobularCluster Great Sagittarius Cluster

Binoculars

Located about 2.5 degrees northeast of the star Kaus Borealis (Lambda Sagittarii), at the top of the Sagittarius Teapot asterism.

mag 5.1 12° Sagittarius

OpenCluster Ptolemy's Cluster

Naked Eye

Located about 5 degrees northeast of the Scorpion's stinger star Shaula (Lambda Scorpii).

mag 3.3 3° Scorpius

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 48° 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 75° Hercules

M81

Galaxy Bode's Galaxy

Binoculars

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

mag 6.9 42° 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 63° Lyra

GlobularCluster Rose Cluster

Binoculars

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

mag 5.6 36° Serpens

C28

OpenCluster NGC 752

Binoculars

Best in binoculars or a wide-field telescope at low power, as the cluster is too large for typical eyepiece fields.

mag 5.7 8° Andromeda

Solar System

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Moon Moon Easy	95	Easy	-12.7	circ	—	5°	Sagittarius
2	Venus Planet Easy	82	Easy	-4.3	circ	—	7°	Leo
3	Juno Asteroid Medium	10	Medium	9.0	circ	—	21°	Capricornus
4	Melpomene Asteroid Medium	10	Medium	9.1	circ	—	23°	Sagittarius
5	Flora Asteroid Medium	10	Medium	9.4	circ	—	11°	Sagittarius
6	Irene Asteroid Medium	10	Medium	9.5	circ	—	14°	Ophiuchus
7	Amphitrite Asteroid Hard	10	Hard	10.7	circ	—	9°	Libra

Double Stars

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Gamma And HIP 9640; Gamma2 Andromedae; 57 Andromedae Easy	89	Easy	4.8	circ	—	11°	And
2	Albireo HIP 95951; Beta2 Cygni; 6 Cygni Easy	83	Easy	5.1	circ	—	54°	Cyg
3	95 Her Easy	81	Easy	5.0	circ	—	58°	Her
4	Mizar Zeta UMa (BS5054) Easy	77	Easy	2.3	circ	—	58°	UMa
5	Algieba HIP 50583; Gamma1 Leonis; 41 Leonis Easy	77	Easy	2.6	circ	—	9°	Leo
6	HIP 207 Easy	77	Easy	5.9	circ	—	40°	Cas
7	HIP 108456 Easy	76	Easy	7.0	circ	—	53°	Cep
8	HIP 88060 Easy	76	Easy	7.0	circ	—	7°	Sgr
9	Gamma Del HIP 102531; Gamma1 Delphini; 12 Delphini Easy	75	Easy	5.1	circ	—	33°	Del
10	16 Cyg Easy	75	Easy	6.0	circ	—	65°	Cyg
11	Achird HIP 3821; Eta Cassiopeiae; 24 Cassiopeiae Easy	74	Easy	3.4	circ	—	31°	Cas
12	Rasalgethi HIP 84345; Alpha1 Herculis; 64 Herculis Easy	74	Easy	3.5	circ	—	53°	Her
13	Guniibuu HIP 84405; 36 Ophiuchi Easy	74	Easy	5.1	circ	—	12°	Oph
14	Porrima HIP 61941; Gamma Virginis; 29 Virginis Medium	73	Medium	3.6	circ	—	14°	Vir
15	39 Oph Easy	73	Easy	5.2	circ	—	14°	Oph
16	Miram Eta Per Easy	72	Easy	3.8	circ	—	21°	Per
17	Alya HIP 92946; Theta1 Serpentis; 63 Serpentis Easy	72	Easy	4.6	circ	—	37°	Ser
18	Rho Oph HIP 80473; Rho Ophiuchi; 5 Ophiuchi Medium	72	Medium	5.0	circ	—	15°	Oph
19	100 Her Easy	72	Easy	5.9	circ	—	62°	Her
20	Pi Boo HIP 71762; Pi Bootis; 29 Bootis Easy	71	Easy	4.9	circ	—	45°	Boo

Variable Stars

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	Blaze Star HR 5958 Hard	86	Hard	10.0	circ	—	62°	CrB
2	R Hya Hard	84	Hard	5.0	circ	—	2°	Hya
3	Algol HIP 14576; Beta Persei; 26 Persei Easy	80	Easy	2.1	circ	—	6°	Per
4	R Sct Easy	78	Easy	5.2	circ	—	28°	Sct
5	R Aql Very Hard	78	Very Hard	6.1	circ	—	40°	Aql
6	30 Her Easy	77	Easy	5.0	circ	—	79°	Her
7	Sheliak HIP 92420; Beta Lyrae; 10 Lyrae Easy	76	Easy	3.5	circ	—	63°	Lyr
8	T Cep Hard	76	Hard	7.3	circ	—	57°	Cep
9	X Oph Medium	74	Medium	6.4	circ	—	43°	Oph
10	U Sge Medium	74	Medium	6.6	circ	—	48°	Sge
11	13 Lyr Easy	73	Easy	4.0	circ	—	70°	Lyr
12	Delta Cep Medium	72	Medium	3.8	circ	—	45°	Cep
13	Eta Aql Medium	72	Medium	3.9	circ	—	28°	Aql
14	47 Psc Medium	71	Medium	5.1	circ	—	1°	Psc
15	3 Sgr Medium	70	Medium	4.5	circ	—	10°	Sgr
16	Gamma Sgr HIP 88567; Gamma1 Sagittarii Medium	70	Medium	4.7	circ	—	8°	Sgr
17	68 Her Medium	70	Medium	4.8	circ	—	71°	Her
18	Zuben El Akribi HIP 73473; Delta Librae; 19 Librae Medium	70	Medium	4.9	circ	—	25°	Lib
19	RY Dra Easy	70	Easy	5.9	circ	—	57°	Dra
20	Z UMa Medium	70	Medium	6.2	circ	—	48°	UMa

Open Clusters

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M6 Butterfly Cluster Easy	91	Easy	4.2	circ	—	6°	Scorpius
2	M7 Ptolemy's Cluster Easy	90	Easy	3.3	circ	—	3°	Scorpius
3	M39 Pyramid Cluster Easy	90	Easy	4.6	circ	—	48°	Cygnus
4	C28 NGC 752 Easy	86	Easy	5.7	circ	—	8°	Andromeda
5	M34 Spiral Cluster Easy	81	Easy	5.5	circ	—	9°	Perseus
6	C16 NGC 7243 Easy	81	Easy	6.4	circ	—	43°	Lacerta
7	M23 NGC 6494 Easy	79	Easy	5.5	circ	—	18°	Sagittarius
8	Double Cluster NGC 869 Easy	77	Easy	4.3	circ	—	24°	Perseus
9	M11 Wild Duck Cluster Easy	75	Easy	5.8	circ	—	28°	Scutum
10	C10 NGC 663 Easy	73	Easy	7.1	circ	—	29°	Cassiopeia
11	C37 NGC 6885 Easy	72	Easy	6.0	circ	—	46°	Vulpecula
12	Coma Star Cluster Easy	71	Easy	1.8	circ	—	33°	Coma Berenices
13	NGC 6530 Easy	71	Easy	4.6	circ	—	13°	Sgr
14	Tweedledee Cluster NGC 6633 Easy	71	Easy	4.6	circ	—	42°	Oph
15	Alpha Persei Cluster Easy	70	Easy	1.2	circ	—	13°	Perseus
16	Owl Cluster NGC 457 Easy	70	Easy	6.4	circ	—	29°	Cassiopeia
17	NGC 6871 Easy	68	Easy	5.2	circ	—	54°	Cyg
18	NGC 2281 Easy	68	Easy	5.4	circ	—	5°	Aur
19	NGC 7686 Easy	68	Easy	5.6	circ	—	33°	And
20	NGC 752 Easy	68	Easy	5.7	circ	—	8°	And

Globular Clusters

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M22 Great Sagittarius Cluster Easy	91	Easy	5.1	circ	—	12°	Sagittarius
2	M13 Great Hercules Cluster Easy	89	Easy	5.8	circ	—	75°	Hercules
3	M4 Spider Globular Cluster Easy	88	Easy	5.6	circ	—	12°	Scorpius
4	M5 Rose Cluster Easy	86	Easy	5.6	circ	—	36°	Serpens
5	M3 NGC 5272 Easy	83	Easy	6.2	circ	—	46°	Canes Venatici
6	M55 Specter Cluster Easy	83	Easy	6.3	circ	—	1°	Sagittarius
7	M10 NGC 6254 Easy	83	Easy	6.6	circ	—	34°	Ophiuchus
8	M15 Great Pegasus Cluster Easy	80	Easy	6.2	circ	—	24°	Pegasus
9	M2 NGC 7089 Easy	80	Easy	6.5	circ	—	13°	Aquarius
10	M62 Flickering Globular Easy	80	Easy	6.5	circ	—	8°	Ophiuchus
11	M12 NGC 6218 Easy	80	Easy	6.7	circ	—	36°	Ophiuchus
12	M19 NGC 6273 Easy	80	Easy	6.8	circ	—	12°	Ophiuchus
13	M92 NGC 6341 Easy	75	Easy	6.4	circ	—	81°	Hercules
14	M28 NGC 6626 Easy	75	Easy	6.8	circ	—	12°	Sagittarius
15	M53 NGC 5024 Easy	73	Easy	7.6	circ	—	34°	Coma Berenices
16	M14 NGC 6402 Easy	68	Easy	7.6	circ	—	35°	Ophiuchus
17	M80 NGC 6093 Easy	65	Easy	7.3	circ	—	15°	Scorpius
18	M54 NGC 6715 Easy	65	Easy	7.6	circ	—	4°	Sagittarius
19	M9 NGC 6333 Easy	65	Easy	7.7	circ	—	20°	Ophiuchus
20	M107 Crucifix Cluster Easy	65	Easy	7.9	circ	—	25°	Ophiuchus

Galaxies

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M81 Bode's Galaxy Easy	87	Easy	6.9	circ	—	42°	Ursa Major
2	M31 Andromeda Galaxy Easy	83	Easy	3.4	circ	—	18°	Andromeda
3	M101 Pinwheel Galaxy Hard	80	Hard	7.9	circ	—	63°	Ursa Major
4	M51 Whirlpool Galaxy Hard	78	Hard	8.4	circ	—	56°	Canes Venatici
5	M64 Black Eye Galaxy Easy	78	Easy	8.5	circ	—	35°	Coma Berenices
6	M63 Sunflower Galaxy Easy	78	Easy	8.6	circ	—	51°	Canes Venatici
7	M66 Leo Triplet Easy	78	Easy	8.9	circ	—	13°	Leo
8	M106 NGC 4258 Easy	77	Easy	8.4	circ	—	46°	Canes Venatici
9	Whale Galaxy NGC 4631 Medium	76	Medium	9.3	circ	—	40°	Canes Venatici
10	Needle Galaxy NGC 4565 Medium	76	Medium	9.6	circ	—	35°	Coma Berenices
11	M104 NGC 4594 Easy	75	Easy	8.3	circ	—	6°	Vir
12	C7 NGC 2403 Easy	75	Easy	8.4	circ	—	31°	Camelopardalis
13	M65 Leo Triplet Medium	75	Medium	9.3	circ	—	13°	Leo
14	M33 Triangulum/Pinwheel Galaxy Hard	74	Hard	5.7	circ	—	4°	Triangulum
15	M94 Crocodile Eye or Cat's Eye Galaxy Easy	74	Easy	8.2	circ	—	47°	Canes Venatici
16	C30 NGC 7331 Medium	73	Medium	9.5	circ	—	30°	Pegasus
17	M82 Cigar Galaxy Easy	72	Easy	8.4	circ	—	42°	Ursa Major
18	Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6946 Hard	72	Hard	8.9	circ	—	60°	Cepheus
19	C3 NGC 4236 Hard	72	Hard	9.7	circ	—	53°	Draco
20	NGC 2903 Easy	71	Easy	8.9	circ	—	4°	Leo

Planetary Nebulae

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M57 Ring Nebula Easy OIII	87	Easy OIII	8.8	circ	—	63°	Lyra
2	M27 Dumbbell Nebula Easy	80	Easy	7.4	circ	—	45°	Vulpecula
3	M97 Owl Nebula Hard OIII	78	Hard OIII	9.9	circ	—	41°	Ursa Major
4	Blue Snowball NGC 7662 Medium OIII	77	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	29°	And
5	Saturn nebula NGC 7009 Medium OIII	75	Medium OIII	8.0	circ	—	8°	Aqr
6	NGC 6543 Medium OIII	73	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	73°	Dra
7	M76 Little Dumbbell Nebula Hard OIII	71	Hard OIII	10.1	circ	—	21°	Perseus
8	Blinking Planetary NGC 6826 Medium OIII	70	Medium OIII	8.8	circ	—	65°	Cygnus
9	Bug Nebula NGC 6302 Hard OIII	67	Hard OIII	9.6	circ	—	1°	Scorpius
10	Cat's Eye Nebula NGC 6543 Medium OIII	64	Medium OIII	8.1	circ	—	73°	Draco
11	NGC 6210 Medium OIII	52	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	62°	Her
12	NGC 6572 Medium OIII	47	Medium OIII	9.0	circ	—	43°	Oph
13	NGC 6818 Very Hard OIII	45	Very Hard OIII	10.0	circ	—	16°	Sgr

Nebulae

#	Object	Rating	Level	Mag	Rise	Culm		Constellation
1	M8 Lagoon Nebula Easy OIII	79	Easy OIII	4.6	circ	—	13°	Sagittarius
2	IC 4605 Medium	72	Medium	4.7	circ	—	13°	Sco
3	Iris Nebula NGC 7023 Medium	69	Medium	6.8	circ	—	57°	Cepheus
4	Sh2-155 C9 Hard OIII	67	Hard OIII	7.7	circ	—	44°	Cepheus
5	NGC 281 Medium OIII	64	Medium OIII	7.0	circ	—	30°	Cas
6	Crescent nebula NGC 6888 Medium OIII	64	Medium OIII	7.4	circ	—	55°	Cyg
7	IC 4604 rho Oph nebula Medium	63	Medium	5.1	circ	—	15°	Oph
8	IC 1287 Medium	63	Medium	6.1	circ	—	25°	Sct
9	North America Nebula NGC 7000 Medium OIII	61	Medium OIII	5.0	circ	—	51°	Cygnus
10	IC 4592 Medium	58	Medium	3.9	circ	—	18°	Sco
11	IC 1284 Medium OIII	53	Medium OIII	7.7	circ	—	17°	Sgr
12	Cocoon Nebula IC 5146 Hard OIII	51	Hard OIII	10.0	circ	—	44°	Cygnus
13	Pelican nebula IC 5070 Very Hard OIII	49	Very Hard OIII	8.0	circ	—	52°	Cyg
14	Bubble Nebula NGC 7635 Very Hard OIII	49	Very Hard OIII	11.0	circ	—	41°	Cassiopeia
15	M17 Omega, Swan, Horseshoe, Lobster, or Checkmark Nebula Easy OIII	47	Easy OIII	6.0	circ	—	20°	Sagittarius
16	M20 Trifid Nebula Easy OIII	47	Easy OIII	6.3	circ	—	14°	Sagittarius
17	M16 Eagle Nebula Medium OIII	47	Medium OIII	6.4	circ	—	23°	Serpens
18	NGC 6589 Hard OIII	40	Hard OIII	10.5	circ	—	17°	Sgr
19	IC 1470 Very Hard OIII	40	Very Hard OIII	11.5	circ	—	42°	Cep
20	IC 4678 Hard OIII	16	Hard OIII	10.4	circ	—	13°	Sgr

Aurora Forecast

Very unlikely

Current Kp

1.7

Quiet

Min. Kp needed

Kp 7

at 51°N

IMF Bz

4.9 nT

Northward

G Scale

Geomagnetic

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

Full aurora forecast Data: NOAA SWPC

Meteor Showers

Perseids PER Peak in 15 days

ZHR ~100 Best 3 AM (44°) 0% Radiant

Southern Delta Aquariids SDA Peak in 2 days

ZHR ~25 Best 3 AM (20°) 100% Radiant

Alpha Capricornids CAP Peak in 2 days

ZHR ~5 Best 3 AM (27°) 100% Radiant

View all meteor showers