OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

48.13°N, 13.01°EEurope/Vienna
Deep Astronomical Night-23.4° (< −18°)
20:23:49
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 36m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:04
Civil Dusk18:36
Nautical19:12
Full Dark19:48
Nadir00:52
Dark Ends05:56
Nautical06:32
Civil Dawn07:08
Sunrise07:40
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Arcturus Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE33.2°
DISTANCE379,885 km
Moonrise16:41
Moonset05:27
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX51% · Moderate Lunar Glow

Milky Way contrast is softened. Bright open clusters and double stars are optimal.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
74/100
Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-29.2°276°Libra08:0212:4617:24Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-26.9°355°Leo01:3108:4415:53Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.327.2°122°Pisces17:3023:3905:47Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-23.4°4°Cancer00:3908:0715:37Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-17.2°258°Libra09:4814:1018:33Binoculars
Uranus♅ Rising / Setting 5.68.0°67°Taurus19:2603:1010:58Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.829.7°130°Pisces17:0823:0905:09Telescope
TONIGHT'S VIEWING SCHEDULE

When & Where to Look Tonight

A simple guide to when each object is above your horizon. No astronomy chart reading required.

BEST TIMEHighest in your sky
The MoonNaked Eye · Good height
RISES16:41
BEST TIME22:56S · 44° high
SETS05:27
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:31
BEST TIME08:44S · 56° high
SETS15:53
Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:30
BEST TIME23:39S · 43° high
SETS05:47
Reaches about 43° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:02
BEST TIME12:46S · 24° high
SETS17:24
Reaches about 24° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:39
BEST TIME08:07S · 60° high
SETS15:37
Reaches about 60° above the horizon at its highest point.Distinctive crimson hue; polar ice cap discernible near opposition.
OBSERVING LOG & TARGET LIST

Tonight's Prime Deep-Sky Targets

M31 / NGC 224 · Andromeda

Andromeda Galaxy

Spiral Galaxy (2.5M ly)

Our galactic neighbor; visible as a ghostly oval smudge with dense radiant stellar core.

M45 · Taurus

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)

Open Star Cluster

Breathtaking blue diamond cluster enshrouded in delicate interstellar reflection nebulosity.

M42 / NGC 1976 · Orion

Great Orion Nebula

Diffuse Emission Nebula

Star nursery harboring the brilliant Trapezium cluster with sprawling bat-wing filaments.

NGC 869 & NGC 884 · Perseus

The Double Cluster

Twin Open Clusters

Pair of spectacular shimmering jewel-boxes bursting with ruby supergiant stars.

M13 / NGC 6205 · Hercules

Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

Globular Cluster (300k stars)

Massive beehive of ancient stars packed tightly together into a blazing central ball.

M57 / NGC 6720 · Lyra

The Ring Nebula

Planetary Nebula

Delicate glowing smoke-ring left behind by a dying star 2,500 light-years away.