OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

20.47°S, 22.72°EAfrica/Gaborone

Nautical Twilight-10.4° (−6° to −12°)

19:19:25

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM8h 44m of true darkness · 11h 17m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:34

Civil Dusk18:57

Nautical19:23

Full Dark19:51

Nadir00:13

Dark Ends04:35

Nautical05:02

Civil Dawn05:29

Sunrise05:51

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE41.7°

DISTANCE380,126 km

Moonrise16:07

Moonset04:20

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX62% · Heavy Lunar Wash

Bright moonlight washes out deep sky targets. Focus on lunar craters and bright planets.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

50/100

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♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-9.3°	246°	Libra	05:33	12:08	18:37	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-77.7°	242°	Leo	02:22	08:05	13:45	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	31.6°	75°	Pisces	17:01	23:00	04:59	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-86.5°	223°	Cancer	01:54	07:30	13:04	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	9.9°	251°	Libra	06:54	13:32	20:06	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-23.1°	75°	Taurus	21:02	02:31	08:04	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	39.1°	73°	Pisces	16:28	22:30	04:32	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

RISES16:07

BEST TIME22:16N · 67° high

SETS04:20

Reaches about 67° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:22

BEST TIME08:05N · 55° high

SETS13:45

Reaches about 55° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES17:01

BEST TIME23:00N · 68° high

SETS04:59

Reaches about 68° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES05:33

BEST TIME12:08N · 88° high

SETS18:37

Reaches about 88° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:54

BEST TIME07:30N · 52° high

SETS13:04

Reaches about 52° 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.