Menu

NGC 6164 — Planetary Nebula in Norma

Planetary Nebula Good (51/100)
Magnitude 6.7m PlanetaryNebula Norma (Nor) Visible
Star Map
+ List + Plan Star Hop

Observe

1Properties

Magnitude 6.71
Angular Size 1.4′ × 0.6′
eF (strongly susp), D* f nr

Position & Identifiers

RA 16h 33m 41.8s
Dec -48° 04' 48.4"
Constellation Norma (Nor)
Catalog NGC 6164

2How easy to spot?

Sign in and configure your equipment and default location to see a personalized row.
Telescope Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
80mm refr. Easy Easy Easy
150mm Newt. Easy Easy Easy
C8 203mm Easy Easy Easy
Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

Medium on Seestar S50

3Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Apr – Jun (peak: May)

4 Filter Response Guide

5 Eyepiece View

Log in to set your own equipment
125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6
N E

NGC 6164 · 1.4′×0.6′ · N up, E left

6 Best Magnification

Explore

7 Surface Brightness

Nearby in the Sky

Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.

Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.

NGC 6165
Easy
Planetary nebula — try an OIII filter
Planetary Nebula mag 6.71 0.1° Norma
Epsilon Nor
Easy
Easy double, sep 22.9″
Double Star mag 4.47 1.2° Norma
NGC 6193
Easy
Rich open cluster
Open Cluster mag 5.2 1.4° Ara
V861 Sco
Medium
Eclipsing binary, period 7.8d
Variable Star mag 6.15 8.3° Scorpius
Show on Map

Explore Nightbase

Related knowledge, tools, and stories — no observation planning required.

William Parsons
Built the Leviathan of Parsonstown; first to resolve spiral structure of nebulae
Biography
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram — Reading Stars Like a Map
The HR diagram turns the night sky into a physics map: every named star has a spot, every spot tells you mass, age, and fate. A guide for amateur observers.
Article
Norma
Mythology, bright stars, and deep-sky highlights.
Constellation
}