SKY · DEEP-SKY · SAUDI ARABIA
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Riyadh
Tonight from Riyadh, the best-placed deep-sky showpiece is M3 Globular Cluster (M3), riding about 86° up in the northern sky. Here's the full list of galaxies, nebulae and clusters worth hunting from Riyadh tonight — and how dark a sky each one needs.
The Moon is nearly out of the way — dark skies for faint objects.
Best placed over Riyadh tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Riyadh. The higher an object is, the less atmosphere you look through — and the better it shows.
A bright spring globular with half a million stars — a fine binocular and small-scope target. In Canes Venatici.
A face-on spiral with a companion — its spiral arms are visible in a modest telescope from a dark site. In Canes Venatici.
The finest globular cluster for northern observers — a fuzzy ball of hundreds of thousands of stars. In Hercules.
An edge-on galaxy with a dark dust lane like a hat brim — a small-telescope classic. In Virgo.
A bright spiral galaxy near the Big Dipper, paired with M82 in the same binocular field. In Ursa Major.
A tiny, perfect smoke ring — the glowing shell of a dying star; a small-telescope favourite. In Lyra.
A swarm of stars filling a binocular field; a faint haze to the naked eye under dark skies. In Cancer.
Home of the famous "Pillars of Creation"; the surrounding cluster is an easy binocular sight. In Serpens.
A delicate nebula split by dark dust lanes, near the Lagoon in the rich Sagittarius star fields. In Sagittarius.
A bright nebula in the heart of the Milky Way — superb in binoculars from a dark southern-sky view. In Sagittarius.
A dense, rich open cluster shaped like a flight of ducks — lovely in binoculars. In Scutum.
A bright planetary nebula, an easy and rewarding binocular and small-scope target. In Vulpecula.
A bright, sprawling star cluster low in the southern Milky Way — naked-eye from dark skies. In Scorpius.
One of the brightest globular clusters, low in the south for northern observers. In Sagittarius.
Out of reach from Riyadh tonight
These showpieces are either below Riyadh's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Riyadh right now
Faint galaxies and nebulae need a genuinely dark, cloudless, Moonless sky — a quick check of tonight's cloud cover and the stargazing verdict for Riyadhtells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Riyadh
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Riyadh to plan your dark-sky window.