🌟 A Wide, Sparkling Field Perfect for Binoculars
M23’s size and brightness make it an ideal binocular target. Its stars are scattered in a loose, open pattern that’s easy to appreciate without needing high magnification or dark skies. For casual summer observing, it’s a quick, satisfying win.

🌟 Beautiful in Small and Medium Telescopes
Through a small telescope, M23 becomes a rich field of pinpoint stars. Its well-spaced structure means it doesn’t require large aperture or high magnification to enjoy. A medium telescope at low power brings the whole cluster into view with excellent clarity and contrast.

🌟 Easy to Find in Sagittarius
Located near the star Mu Sagittarii, M23 is easy to locate within the Sagittarius star cloud region. Its close proximity to other Messier objects—like M20, M21, and M8—makes it a natural addition to any night spent exploring the summer Milky Way.

🌟 A Gentle Contrast to Denser Clusters
Unlike denser clusters such as M11 (the Wild Duck Cluster), M23 offers a more relaxed visual experience. Its open, scattered nature makes it easier to study individual stars and adds variety to an evening of cluster-hopping.

🌟 Great for Beginners
Because it’s bright, easy to locate, and impressive even in binoculars, M23 is an excellent choice for beginner observers. It’s a welcoming introduction to deep-sky observing that doesn’t require advanced skills or equipment.

🌟 An Excellent Sketching Target
M23’s loose distribution and variety of star magnitudes make it a fun and achievable object to sketch. It encourages observers to slow down, study patterns, and appreciate the individual stars that make up this subtly beautiful cluster.

Find the Summer Triangle which consists of the three stars, Vega (+0.02), Altair (+0.93) and Deneb (+1.33). Hop from Deneb to Altair and continue to the Teapot Asterism of Sagittarius.

If you already know how to find the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae, use the first option below. Otherwise, use the second option.

Option 1: Point to the Lagoon Nebula. Then hop to the Trifid Nebula and then hop to M23. Don't confuse it with the open cluster M21.

Option 2: Find the star Kaus Borealis (+2.82), the tip of the teapot. Find Polis, also known as Mu Sagittarii (+3.83). Point to Polis. Then hop to M23.

Under low power M23 will appear as a diffuse group of faint stars. Explore.

✅ Use Low Power for the Full View
Messier 23 spans nearly 30 arcminutes, so use a low-power eyepiece to frame the entire cluster. This allows you to appreciate its full spread and avoid cutting off stars at the edge.

✅ Try Binoculars First
Binoculars show M23 well, revealing a soft but noticeable star field. It’s a great way to spot the cluster before honing in with a telescope.

✅ Observe from a Dark Site
While M23 is bright, dark skies help the fainter background stars stand out, enhancing the sense of depth and making the cluster sparkle.

✅ Sweep the Area Slowly
Located near Mu Sagittarii in a dense star field, M23 can be easy to miss if you move too fast. Sweep slowly to spot its loose, scattered star pattern.

✅ Use Averted Vision for Fainter Stars
Looking slightly to the side of the cluster can help pull out more of its dimmer members, especially at the edges.

✅ Revisit with Different Scopes
M23 looks great in both binoculars and small telescopes. Try observing it with multiple instruments to see how its character changes at different scales.

❌ Naked Eye
With the naked eye, Messier 23 is generally not visible, though under excellent dark skies it may subtly blend into the Milky Way as a faint enhancement.

✅ Binoculars
In binoculars, M23 appears as a loosely concentrated patch of faint stars with a soft glow, offering a clear sense of its size and position in the Sagittarius star fields.

✅ Small Telescope
Through a small telescope, the cluster resolves into dozens of stars scattered across a wide area, with a pleasing, irregular pattern that stands out well even at low magnification.

✅ Medium Telescope
A medium telescope enhances the experience by resolving more stars across the cluster’s full span, giving it a glittering appearance and revealing slight variations in brightness and color among its members.

✅ Large Telescope
In a large telescope, M23 becomes a richly textured star field with excellent depth, though it remains a relatively sparse and open cluster compared to denser counterparts. The wide distribution of stars across the frame makes it best appreciated with a wide-field eyepiece, even in larger instruments.

🟣 In Bortle 1–2 skies, Messier 23 appears as a sparkling, wide field of stars embedded in the rich Milky Way. Its members are crisp and well-resolved, with excellent contrast against a dark, star-dense background that enhances its beauty and depth.

🔵 Under Bortle 3–4 skies, the cluster still looks rich and attractive. Most stars remain visible, though the surrounding Milky Way glow is slightly muted. The overall impression is still rewarding, with a clear sense of its open, scattered structure.

🟢 In Bortle 5–6 skies, M23 begins to lose fainter stars. The core stars are still visible, but the sense of richness diminishes. It appears more isolated and less striking against a grayer sky.

🟠 Under Bortle 7+ skies, light pollution washes out many of the cluster’s dimmer members. M23 appears sparse and faint, with only the brightest stars easily seen. The surrounding Milky Way is barely perceptible or completely gone.