OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

55.77°N, 12.20°EEurope/Copenhagen
Deep Astronomical Night-26.9° (< −18°)
21:04:03
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 1m of true darkness · 14h 9m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:51
Civil Dusk18:29
Nautical19:12
Full Dark19:55
Nadir00:56
Dark Ends05:56
Nautical06:38
Civil Dawn07:22
Sunrise08:00
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%
ALTITUDE31.1°
DISTANCE379,735 km
Moonrise16:42
Moonset05:37
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 -4.3-33.2°289°Libra08:3212:5016:59Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-19.2°5°Leo01:1108:4316:19Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.327.0°134°Pisces17:3123:4205:53Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-15.0°13°Cancer00:1308:1016:10Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-23.8°268°Libra10:2614:1418:01Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.615.8°76°Taurus18:5203:1311:38Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.828.1°143°Pisces17:1123:1205:13Telescope
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
RISES16:42
BEST TIME22:59S · 36° high
SETS05:37
Reaches about 36° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:11
BEST TIME08:43S · 49° high
SETS16:19
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
RISES17:31
BEST TIME23:42S · 36° high
SETS05:53
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
RISES08:32
BEST TIME12:50S · 16° high
SETS16:59
Only reaches about 16° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:13
BEST TIME08:10S · 52° high
SETS16:10
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.