OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

50.57°N, 3.24°EEurope/Paris
Astronomical Twilight-17.3° (−12° to −18°)
20:27:20
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 6m of true darkness · 13h 45m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:39
Civil Dusk19:12
Nautical19:50
Full Dark20:28
Nadir01:31
Dark Ends06:34
Nautical07:12
Civil Dawn07:50
Sunrise08:24
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 Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE27.2°
DISTANCE379,872 km
Moonrise17:20
Moonset06:10
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX42% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
67/100
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 -4.3-23.3°270°Libra08:5613:2517:55Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-23.5°346°Leo02:0409:2316:38Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.321.0°115°Pisces18:0800:1706:27Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-20.9°355°Cancer01:1008:4816:24Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-12.2°252°Libra10:3714:4919:02Binoculars
Uranus♅ Rising / Setting 5.64.0°61°Taurus19:5503:4911:47Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.823.6°123°Pisces17:4723:4805:48Telescope
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
RISES17:20
BEST TIME23:36S · 42° high
SETS06:10
Reaches about 42° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:04
BEST TIME09:23S · 54° high
SETS16:38
Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES18:08
BEST TIME00:17S · 41° high
SETS06:27
Reaches about 41° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:56
BEST TIME13:25S · 21° high
SETS17:55
Reaches about 21° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:10
BEST TIME08:48S · 57° high
SETS16:24
Reaches about 57° 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.