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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Position and Visibility Tonight

M43

Where is De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) right now?

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) is located in the constellation Orion. It is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 47° toward the south-east, with an apparent magnitude of 9.00.
Twilight begins at 03:15 local time. At that moment, De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) will be 47° above the horizon toward the south-east.
Open the interactive guide to De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)’s position and path tonight

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) visibility on 2026-10-05

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Visible from before midnight until sunrise

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
Moonset13:37-46°
Astronomical observing session begins18:12-44°
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) rise22:03
Moonrise, 34% illuminated 22:254°
Astronomical observing session ends03:4047°
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) transit03:4647°
Twilight end (−12°)04:1047°
Civil sunrise04:4046°
Sunrise05:0843°
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) set09:29

Track De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) position throughout the night

← 5 October 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) changing position in the night sky.

M43 - De Mairan's Nebula

M43, also known as De Mairan's Nebula, is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan before 1731 and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1769. M43 is part of the Orion Nebula (M42) complex.

M43 spans about 4 light-years across and contains a bright, young star that illuminates the surrounding gas and dust. The nebula is approximately 1,344 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.0, making it visible with a small telescope.

M43 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M43 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M43 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M43 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M43 — composite color 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 De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

Finder Chart for De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

Open the step-by-step guide

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Passage Through Night

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Current position of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43)

Time03:15
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation47°
Azimuth169°
Here you can see the current position of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) 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 De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) Visible Throughout the Year?

De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) will remain visible until April 10, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky. Time
DateTue, 6 October 2026
Astronomical observing session begins18:06
Astronomical observing session ends03:34
Astronomical observing duration9h 28m
Rise21:59
Set09:25
Elevation at transit47°
Transit time03:42
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 05h 35m 31s", Dec: -5° 16' 02s
Magnitude9
ConstellationOrion
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of De Mairan’s Nebula (M43), 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 De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M43

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension05h 35m 31s
Declination-5° 16′ 03″
Magnitude9
ConstellationOrion
Elevation46.8°
Azimuth168.7°

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.