About NGC 1960 (M36)

NGC 1960 is a rewarding deep-sky target and appears as a soft glow. It has moderate brightness.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 16° altitude and reaches 56° around 05:14 PM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 7 hours.

Observing conditions matter, contrast improves away from light pollution.

Observing tips

It requires patience and good conditions.

What to expect

In small telescopes it remains mostly unresolved.

Type

Open Cluster

Constellation

Auriga

Distance

4100 ly

Size

12.0'

Season

Winter

Difficulty

Easy

Magnitude

6.3