OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

48.83°N, 67.52°WAmerica/Toronto

Daylight+24.2°

14:13:03

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 39m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:25

Civil Dusk17:57

Nautical18:34

Full Dark19:10

Nadir00:14

Dark Ends05:18

Nautical05:55

Civil Dawn06:32

Sunrise07:04

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE-18.1°

DISTANCE379,925 km

Moonrise16:06

Moonset03:51

HorizonBelow

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX0% · Minimal Lunar Glare

Sky background remains dark; faint nebulae and distant galaxies are distinct.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

42/100

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 America/Toronto

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Visible Low	-4.3	17.6°	211°	Libra	07:32	12:07	16:43	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Rising / Setting	-2.0	9.5°	281°	Leo	00:51	08:05	15:16	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Below Horizon	0.3	-24.6°	55°	Pisces	16:51	23:00	05:13	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Rising / Setting	1.0	6.8°	290°	Cancer	23:59	07:30	15:00	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	19.7°	190°	Libra	09:12	13:32	17:51	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-19.5°	355°	Taurus	18:44	02:35	10:22	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Below Horizon	7.8	-21.9°	63°	Pisces	16:29	22:30	04:35	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

RISES16:06

BEST TIME22:28S · 45° high

SETS03:51

Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:51

BEST TIME08:05S · 56° high

SETS15:16

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

RISES16:51

BEST TIME23:00S · 43° high

SETS05:13

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

RISES07:32

BEST TIME12:07S · 23° high

SETS16:43

Reaches about 23° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES23:59

BEST TIME07:30S · 59° high

SETS15:00

Reaches about 59° 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.