OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

47.04°N, 16.41°EEurope/Vienna

Nautical Twilight-6.9° (−6° to −12°)

18:33:02

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 32m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:52

Civil Dusk18:24

Nautical18:59

Full Dark19:34

Nadir00:39

Dark Ends05:43

Nautical06:18

Civil Dawn06:53

Sunrise07:25

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE20.0°

DISTANCE380,300 km

Moonrise16:27

Moonset05:12

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX32% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

61/100

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

All times calibrated to Europe/Vienna

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-12.7°	258°	Libra	07:53	12:33	17:14	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-22.8°	329°	Leo	01:20	08:30	15:37	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	12.4°	101°	Pisces	17:17	23:25	05:33	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-22.0°	339°	Cancer	00:29	07:55	15:20	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-1.4°	241°	Libra	09:31	13:57	18:23	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-6.0°	49°	Taurus	19:16	02:56	10:40	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	15.9°	108°	Pisces	16:55	22:55	04:56	Telescope

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

RISES16:27

BEST TIME22:42S · 45° high

SETS05:12

Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:20

BEST TIME08:30S · 57° high

SETS15:37

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

RISES17:17

BEST TIME23:25S · 44° high

SETS05:33

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

RISES07:53

BEST TIME12:33S · 25° high

SETS17:14

Reaches about 25° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:29

BEST TIME07:55S · 61° high

SETS15:20

Reaches about 61° 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

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

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.