OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

50.84°N, 4.83°EEurope/Brussels

Nautical Twilight-8.8° (−6° to −12°)

19:27:48

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 6m of true darkness · 13h 46m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:32

Civil Dusk19:05

Nautical19:44

Full Dark20:22

Nadir01:25

Dark Ends06:28

Nautical07:06

Civil Dawn07:44

Sunrise08:18

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE19.8°

DISTANCE380,095 km

Moonrise17:13

Moonset06:04

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX31% · 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/Brussels

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-14.8°	260°	Libra	08:51	13:19	17:48	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-20.2°	332°	Leo	01:57	09:16	16:33	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	13.0°	104°	Pisces	18:02	00:11	06:21	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-18.9°	342°	Cancer	01:03	08:41	16:18	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-4.4°	243°	Libra	10:31	14:43	18:55	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-2.4°	51°	Taurus	19:47	03:42	11:42	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	16.0°	111°	Pisces	17:41	23:41	05:42	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

RISES17:13

BEST TIME23:30S · 41° high

SETS06:04

Reaches about 41° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:57

BEST TIME09:16S · 54° high

SETS16:33

Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · Good height

RISES18:02

BEST TIME00:11S · 41° high

SETS06:21

Reaches about 41° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES08:51

BEST TIME13:19S · 21° high

SETS17:48

Reaches about 21° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:03

BEST TIME08:41S · 57° high

SETS16:18

Reaches about 57° 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.