OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

43.22°N, 5.54°EEurope/Paris
Civil Twilight-4.8° (0° to −6°)
19:08:12
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 20m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:42
Civil Dusk19:11
Nautical19:44
Full Dark20:17
Nadir01:22
Dark Ends06:27
Nautical07:00
Civil Dawn07:33
Sunrise08:02
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) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE19.8°
DISTANCE380,168 km
Moonrise17:12
Moonset05:55
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX31% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
46/100
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 -4.3-10.4°256°Libra08:2613:1618:07Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-25.3°326°Leo02:1209:1316:12Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.311.7°99°Pisces18:0100:0806:16Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-25.0°336°Cancer01:2308:3915:52Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Rising / Setting 0.41.5°239°Libra10:0214:4019:19Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-9.6°48°Taurus20:1303:4011:10Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.815.7°106°Pisces17:3823:3905:39Telescope
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
RISES17:12
BEST TIME23:27S · 49° high
SETS05:55
Reaches about 49° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:12
BEST TIME09:13S · 61° high
SETS16:12
Reaches about 61° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES18:01
BEST TIME00:08S · 48° high
SETS06:16
Reaches about 48° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:26
BEST TIME13:16S · 29° high
SETS18:07
Reaches about 29° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:23
BEST TIME08:39S · 65° high
SETS15:52
Reaches about 65° 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.