OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

48.51°N, 0.42°WEurope/Paris
Daylight+5.7°
18:16:15
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 38m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:57
Civil Dusk19:29
Nautical20:06
Full Dark20:42
Nadir01:46
Dark Ends06:50
Nautical07:26
Civil Dawn08:02
Sunrise08:35
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 Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE6.0°
DISTANCE380,363 km
Moonrise17:35
Moonset06:24
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX10% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
38/100
Challenging Stargazing

High cloud cover or severe light interference. Recommend bright planetary observation or indoor planning.

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

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Rising / Setting -4.30.1°243°Libra09:0413:4018:16Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-12.5°310°Leo02:2409:3716:47Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-1.2°86°Pisces18:2300:3206:45Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-13.5°319°Cancer01:3209:0216:31Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Rising / Setting 0.48.5°225°Libra10:4315:0419:25Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-14.1°31°Taurus20:1804:0311:53Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.82.1°93°Pisces18:0200:0206:03Telescope
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
RISES17:35
BEST TIME23:52S · 44° high
SETS06:24
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:24
BEST TIME09:37S · 56° high
SETS16:47
Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES18:23
BEST TIME00:32S · 43° high
SETS06:45
Reaches about 43° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES09:04
BEST TIME13:40S · 23° high
SETS18:16
Reaches about 23° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:32
BEST TIME09:02S · 59° high
SETS16:31
Reaches about 59° 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.