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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations »  Ursa Major »  Deep Sky Objects » 

Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major

Altitude: 20.4°   Azimuth: 350.7°   Direction: North

Messier 40 is a Double Star in the Ursa Major constellation. Messier 40 is situated north of the celestial equator and, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere.

The image below is a photograph of Messier 40 from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins).

Image of Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major star
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DSS2 image of Messier 40 in the Red band.

Key facts about Messier 40

Messier 40
Double Star
Ursa Major

Messier 40 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 20.4°
Azimuth: 350.7°
Direction: North

See also Messier 40 rise and set times.

Given its visual magnitude of 8, Messier 40 is visible with the help of a binocular with a 40-50mm aperture or a small telescope.

Available Resources for Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major

Photometric information of Messier 40

The following table lists the magnitude of Messier 40 in different bands of the electomagnetic spectrum (when available), from the B band (445nm wavelength, corresponding to the Blue color), to the V band ( 551nm wavelength, corresponding to Green/Yellow color), to the J, H, K bands (corresponding to 1220nm, 1630nm, 2190nm wavelengths respectively, which are colors not visible to the human eye).

8

For more information about photometry in astronomy, check the photometric system article on Wikipedia.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Messier 40

Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox of Messier 40 are provided in the following table:

12h 22m 15s
+58° 05’ 03”

The simplified sky charts below show the position of Messier 40 in the sky. The first chart has a field of view of 60° while the second one has a field of view of 10°.

Finder chart Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major star
Simplified finder chart for Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major.

Finder chart Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major star
Simplified finder chart for Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major.

Rise and set times of Messier 40 from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Messier 40 - Double Star in Ursa Major is circumpolar and transits at 00:34 UTC (altitude: 83.4°)