OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

47.90°N, 14.23°EEurope/Vienna
Civil Twilight-1.8° (0° to −6°)
18:09:59
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 35m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:00
Civil Dusk18:31
Nautical19:07
Full Dark19:43
Nadir00:47
Dark Ends05:51
Nautical06:27
Civil Dawn07:03
Sunrise07:35
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 Antares Deneb Saturn (0.3) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE14.7°
DISTANCE380,386 km
Moonrise16:36
Moonset05:22
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX23% · Minimal Lunar Glare

Sky background remains dark; faint nebulae and distant galaxies are distinct.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
49/100
Fair Stargazing

Partial haze or lunar wash. Bright clusters, double stars, and prominent planets remain well visible.

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

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-7.7°252°Libra08:0412:4217:20Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-19.0°322°Leo01:2708:3915:47Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.37.0°96°Pisces17:2523:3405:42Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-18.9°331°Cancer00:3508:0415:31Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Rising / Setting 0.42.4°235°Libra09:4214:0518:29Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-9.3°43°Taurus19:2203:0510:52Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.810.6°102°Pisces17:0323:0405:05Telescope
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
RISES16:36
BEST TIME22:51S · 44° high
SETS05:22
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:27
BEST TIME08:39S · 57° high
SETS15:47
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:25
BEST TIME23:34S · 44° high
SETS05:42
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:04
BEST TIME12:42S · 24° high
SETS17:20
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
RISES00:35
BEST TIME08:04S · 60° high
SETS15:31
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.