We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
Help keep this site free and ads-free: donate now!
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
public LocationGreenwich, United Kingdom
TimezoneEurope/London
Sunrise: 5:29 
Transit: 12:55 
Sunset: 20:22
wb_twilight   (Civil Twilight)   What's Visible Now?
All Constellations »  Scorpius »  Deep Sky Objects » 

NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius

Altitude: -34.8°   Azimuth: 115.5°   Direction: East-South-East

NGC 6231 is a Open Cluster in the Scorpius constellation. NGC 6231 is situated south of the celestial equator and, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere.

The image below is a photograph of NGC 6231 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 0.46x0.46 degrees (27.6x27.6 arcmins).

Image of NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius star
/>
DSS2 image of NGC 6231 in the Red band. The green region on the image is a representation of the major (13.8 arcmin) and minor (13.8 arcmin) axes of the object's apparent size.

Key facts about NGC 6231

NGC 6231
Open Cluster
Scorpius

NGC 6231 is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.

Altitude: -34.8°
Azimuth: 115.5°
Direction: East-South-East

See also NGC 6231 rise and set times.

Given its visual magnitude of 2.6, NGC 6231 is visible to the naked eye under a clear and dark sky, or with the help of a small binocular.

Available Resources for NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius

Photometric information of NGC 6231

The following table lists the magnitude of NGC 6231 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).

2.83
2.6

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

Apparent size of NGC 6231

The following table reports NGC 6231 apparent angular size. The green area displayed on top of the DSS2 image of NGC 6231 is a visual representation of it.
13.8 arcmin
13.8 arcmin

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of NGC 6231

Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox of NGC 6231 are provided in the following table:

16h 54m 11s
-41° 49’ 27”

The simplified sky charts below show the position of NGC 6231 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 NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius star
Simplified finder chart for NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius.

Finder chart NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius star
Simplified finder chart for NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius.

Rise and set times of NGC 6231 from your location

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

NGC 6231 - Open Cluster in Scorpius is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom