OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

53.80°N, 12.17°EEurope/Berlin
Civil Twilight-5.4° (0° to −6°)
18:33:04
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 3m of true darkness · 13h 59m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:56
Civil Dusk18:32
Nautical19:13
Full Dark19:54
Nadir00:56
Dark Ends05:57
Nautical06:38
Civil Dawn07:19
Sunrise07:55
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%
ALTITUDE15.1°
DISTANCE380,300 km
Moonrise16:43
Moonset05:36
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX24% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
48/100
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 -4.3-11.6°256°Libra08:3312:5017:08Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-15.6°326°Leo01:1808:4716:12Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.38.6°99°Pisces17:3123:4205:52Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-14.7°336°Cancer00:2208:1216:01Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-2.5°238°Libra10:1614:1418:12Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-3.3°45°Taurus19:0303:1311:27Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.811.4°107°Pisces17:1223:1205:13Telescope
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
RISES16:43
BEST TIME23:00S · 38° high
SETS05:36
Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:18
BEST TIME08:47S · 51° high
SETS16:12
Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:31
BEST TIME23:42S · 38° high
SETS05:52
Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:33
BEST TIME12:50S · 18° high
SETS17:08
Only reaches about 18° 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 TIME08:12S · 54° high
SETS16:01
Reaches about 54° 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.