OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

4.71°N, 73.70°WAmerica/Bogota
Daylight+53.3°
13:51:12
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 41m of true darkness · 12h 1m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:38
Civil Dusk17:59
Nautical18:24
Full Dark18:48
Nadir23:39
Dark Ends04:29
Nautical04:53
Civil Dawn05:18
Sunrise05:39
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Arcturus Altair Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Mercury (0.4)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE-27.2°
DISTANCE379,783 km
Moonrise15:42
Moonset03:19
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

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Optimal Visibility -4.348.8°236°Libra05:3711:3217:27Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-3.5°285°Leo01:2007:3013:36Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-38.1°84°Pisces16:2322:2404:30Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-11.2°289°Cancer00:4506:5513:03Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Optimal Visibility 0.461.1°207°Libra07:0212:5618:51Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-64.1°356°Taurus19:4702:0008:08Binoculars
Neptune♆ Below Horizon 7.8-30.8°88°Pisces15:5421:5504:00Telescope
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
RISES15:42
BEST TIME21:54S · 90° high
SETS03:19
Reaches about 90° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:20
BEST TIME07:30N · 80° high
SETS13:36
Reaches about 80° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:23
BEST TIME22:24S · 87° high
SETS04:30
Reaches about 87° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES05:37
BEST TIME11:32S · 67° high
SETS17:27
Reaches about 67° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:45
BEST TIME06:55N · 77° high
SETS13:03
Reaches about 77° 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

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.