OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

47.98°N, 4.18°WEurope/Paris

Nautical Twilight-8.7° (−6° to −12°)

20:05:30

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 36m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:13

Civil Dusk19:45

Nautical20:21

Full Dark20:57

Nadir02:01

Dark Ends07:05

Nautical07:41

Civil Dawn08:17

Sunrise08:49

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE21.1°

DISTANCE379,954 km

Moonrise17:50

Moonset06:40

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX33% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

60/100

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

All times calibrated to Europe/Paris

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-14.6°	260°	Libra	09:18	13:55	18:33	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-22.8°	332°	Leo	02:40	09:52	17:01	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	13.9°	104°	Pisces	18:39	00:47	06:56	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-21.7°	342°	Cancer	01:49	09:17	16:45	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-3.3°	243°	Libra	10:56	15:19	19:42	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-4.0°	51°	Taurus	20:35	04:18	12:06	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	17.3°	111°	Pisces	18:17	00:17	06:18	Telescope

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

RISES17:50

BEST TIME00:07S · 44° high

SETS06:40

Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:40

BEST TIME09:52S · 56° high

SETS17:01

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

RISES18:39

BEST TIME00:47S · 43° high

SETS06:56

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

RISES09:18

BEST TIME13:55S · 24° high

SETS18:33

Reaches about 24° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:49

BEST TIME09:17S · 60° high

SETS16:45

Reaches about 60° 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

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

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.