OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

48.35°N, 14.16°EEurope/Vienna

Nautical Twilight-8.2° (−6° to −12°)

18:48:51

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 37m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:59

Civil Dusk18:31

Nautical19:08

Full Dark19:44

Nadir00:48

Dark Ends05:51

Nautical06:27

Civil Dawn07:04

Sunrise07:36

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE20.5°

DISTANCE380,241 km

Moonrise16:36

Moonset05:23

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	-14.1°	259°	Libra	08:06	12:42	17:19	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-22.2°	331°	Leo	01:26	08:39	15:49	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	13.2°	103°	Pisces	17:25	23:34	05:43	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-21.2°	341°	Cancer	00:34	08:04	15:33	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-3.0°	242°	Libra	09:44	14:06	18:27	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-4.2°	51°	Taurus	19:20	03:05	10:54	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	16.6°	110°	Pisces	17:04	23:04	05:05	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

RISES16:36

BEST TIME22:51S · 44° high

SETS05:23

Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:26

BEST TIME08:39S · 56° high

SETS15:49

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

RISES17:25

BEST TIME23:34S · 43° high

SETS05:43

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

RISES08:06

BEST TIME12:42S · 24° high

SETS17:19

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

RISES00:34

BEST TIME08:04S · 60° high

SETS15:33

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

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.