OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

55.45°N, 10.66°EEurope/Copenhagen
Deep Astronomical Night-26.1° (< −18°)
21:03:44
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 1m of true darkness · 14h 7m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:58
Civil Dusk18:36
Nautical19:19
Full Dark20:01
Nadir01:02
Dark Ends06:02
Nautical06:45
Civil Dawn07:27
Sunrise08:05
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 Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE30.8°
DISTANCE379,736 km
Moonrise16:49
Moonset05:44
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX48% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
75/100
Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-32.5°287°Libra08:3712:5617:07Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-19.6°3°Leo01:1908:5016:24Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.326.5°133°Pisces17:3723:4805:59Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-15.5°11°Cancer00:2108:1616:14Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-22.9°267°Libra10:3014:2018:09Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.614.9°74°Taurus19:0003:1911:42Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.827.8°141°Pisces17:1823:1805:19Telescope
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
RISES16:49
BEST TIME23:06S · 37° high
SETS05:44
Reaches about 37° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:19
BEST TIME08:50S · 49° high
SETS16:24
Reaches about 49° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:37
BEST TIME23:48S · 36° high
SETS05:59
Reaches about 36° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:37
BEST TIME12:56S · 17° high
SETS17:07
Only reaches about 17° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:21
BEST TIME08:16S · 52° high
SETS16:14
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

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.