Target guide · open cluster

M35 with a smart telescope

M35 is a open cluster about 28 arcminutes (0.47°) across, magnitude 5.1. It is highest around midnight in December, best placed for the northern hemisphere, and bright enough to image from a suburb or even a city. Of the 12 smart telescopes we track, Origin Mark II, Seestar S50, DWARF mini frame it best.

Key facts

CatalogueM35
Typeopen cluster
Apparent size28′ × 28′
Magnitude5.1
Position (J2000)RA 6.15 h, Dec 24.3°
Highest at midnightDecember (±2 weeks)
Sky neededCity-friendly surface brightness 21.0 mag/arcsec²

In the best-matching frame

M35 · 28′ × 28′
M35 (blue) inside the native frame of Origin Mark II (1.32° × 0.75°).

Imaging tips

Star clusters and star groups are bright and forgiving: they show well from a city and need only short sessions. A wider field of view shows the whole group with some surrounding sky. M35 is one of the easier targets from light-polluted skies.

Which smart telescope frames it best

TelescopeField of viewFit
Celestron Origin Mark II1.32° × 0.75°fits well
ZWO Seestar S501.29° × 0.73°fits well
DWARFLAB DWARF mini2.13° × 1.2°fits well
ZWO Seestar S302.14° × 1.21°fits well
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro2.45° × 1.38°fits well
Vaonis Vespera II2.5° × 1.4°fits well
Vaonis Vespera 32.5° × 1.4°fits well
Vaonis Vespera Pro 21.6° × 1.6°fits well
DWARFLAB DWARF 32.93° × 1.65°fits well
Unistellar Odyssey0.75° × 0.56°fits well
Unistellar Odyssey Pro0.75° × 0.56°fits well
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro3.99° × 2.24°fits well

How high it gets from where you live

Highest altitude above a flat horizon. Below about 20° the image suffers from haze and light pollution; trees and roofs often block it completely.

LatitudeHighest altitude
Oslo, 60° N54°
Amsterdam, 52° N62°
Madrid, 40° N74°
Miami, 26° N88°
Equator66°
Sydney, 34° S32°
See if it clears your own horizon tonight

Nearby in the sky

Objects close to M35 in the sky, so you can image them in the same session.

Questions and answers

Can I photograph M35 from a city?
Yes. It is bright enough to image from a suburb or even a city.
Which smart telescope is best for M35?
Origin Mark II, Seestar S50, DWARF mini frame it best in a single frame, based on its size and each telescope's field of view.
When is the best time to photograph M35?
It is highest around midnight in December and best placed for the northern hemisphere. From 52° north it climbs to about 62° at most.

Object data: Messier catalogue via d3-celestial (BSD-3). Altitudes and dates are calculated, not observed.