✨ NGC 6208
Object data
| Type | Open cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ara |
| Right ascension | 16h49m28.2s (252.3675°) |
| Declination | -53°43'42" (-53.7283°) |
| Magnitude | mag 7.2 |
| Apparent size | 8.4′ |
| Other designations | NGC 6208 |
An open cluster in Ara.
Midnight transit date (best season to observe and image)
Location: Tokyo (change)
Around May 30, 2026
The date it transits around midnight (transit altitude about 1°)
This date has already passed this year. Next year (2027) it will be around May 31.
For about 2–3 weeks either side of this date, the object stays high from evening to dawn — its observing season.
Best time to observe tonight
Tonight (Oct 10 evening – Oct 11 dawn) · Location: Tokyo (full darkness = end of astronomical dusk to start of dawn, altitude ≥ 15°)
Moon tonight: Waning crescent (age 28.6 days, 1% illuminated) — Little moonlight — a good time for faint objects
It never reaches 15° at this location (maximum altitude at transit: about 1°).
Night (sunset – sunrise)
Full darkness (dusk – dawn)
Moon up (darker = brighter moon)
Best time to observe (thick line)
Now
Sunset 17:13 → Dusk 18:37 → Dawn 4:19 → Sunrise 5:43