OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

56.13°N, 9.56°EEurope/Copenhagen
Civil Twilight-3.5° (0° to −6°)
18:26:00
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 0m of true darkness · 14h 11m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:01
Civil Dusk18:39
Nautical19:23
Full Dark20:06
Nadir01:06
Dark Ends06:06
Nautical06:49
Civil Dawn07:33
Sunrise08:11
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 Antares Deneb Saturn (0.3) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE12.0°
DISTANCE380,326 km
Moonrise16:53
Moonset05:49
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX19% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

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

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-9.8°253°Libra08:5313:0017:08Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-12.2°323°Leo01:2108:5716:31Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.35.8°96°Pisces17:4123:5206:04Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-11.5°332°Cancer00:2208:2316:22Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-1.7°234°Libra10:3914:2418:10Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-3.4°42°Taurus19:0003:2411:51Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.88.3°103°Pisces17:2223:2305:23Telescope
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
RISES16:53
BEST TIME23:10S · 36° high
SETS05:49
Reaches about 36° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:21
BEST TIME08:57S · 48° high
SETS16:31
Reaches about 48° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:41
BEST TIME23:52S · 35° high
SETS06:04
Reaches about 35° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:53
BEST TIME13:00S · 16° high
SETS17:08
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
RISES00:22
BEST TIME08:23S · 52° high
SETS16:22
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.