OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

24.69°S, 23.49°EAfrica/Gaborone

Civil Twilight-0.7° (0° to −6°)

18:37:57

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM8h 30m of true darkness · 11h 9m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:35

Civil Dusk18:59

Nautical19:26

Full Dark19:55

Nadir00:10

Dark Ends04:25

Nautical04:53

Civil Dawn05:21

Sunrise05:44

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE32.2°

DISTANCE380,281 km

Moonrise16:04

Moonset04:16

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX49% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

40/100

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 Africa/Gaborone

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Rising / Setting	-4.3	0.5°	250°	Libra	05:24	12:05	18:40	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-67.8°	246°	Leo	02:24	08:02	13:36	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	22.0°	78°	Pisces	16:58	22:57	04:56	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-76.7°	241°	Cancer	01:57	07:27	12:55	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	19.5°	255°	Libra	06:46	13:28	20:11	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-32.8°	80°	Taurus	21:07	02:28	07:53	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	29.4°	76°	Pisces	16:25	22:27	04:29	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 · High in the sky

RISES16:04

BEST TIME22:13N · 62° high

SETS04:16

Reaches about 62° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:24

BEST TIME08:02N · 51° high

SETS13:36

Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:58

BEST TIME22:57N · 64° high

SETS04:56

Reaches about 64° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES05:24

BEST TIME12:05N · 83° high

SETS18:40

Reaches about 83° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:57

BEST TIME07:27N · 47° high

SETS12:55

Reaches about 47° 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.