OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

49.10°N, 9.38°EEurope/Berlin
Nautical Twilight-8.1° (−6° to −12°)
19:06:29
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 7m of true darkness · 13h 40m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:17
Civil Dusk18:49
Nautical19:26
Full Dark20:03
Nadir01:07
Dark Ends06:10
Nautical06:47
Civil Dawn07:24
Sunrise07:57
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%
ALTITUDE20.0°
DISTANCE380,175 km
Moonrise16:55
Moonset05:43
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX32% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
61/100
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 -4.3-14.0°259°Libra08:2713:0117:35Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-21.5°331°Leo01:4308:5816:10Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.312.9°103°Pisces17:4423:5306:02Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-20.4°341°Cancer00:5108:2315:54Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-3.1°242°Libra10:0614:2518:43Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-3.9°50°Taurus19:3603:2411:16Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.816.1°110°Pisces17:2323:2305:24Telescope
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
RISES16:55
BEST TIME23:11S · 43° high
SETS05:43
Reaches about 43° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:43
BEST TIME08:58S · 55° high
SETS16:10
Reaches about 55° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:44
BEST TIME23:53S · 42° high
SETS06:02
Reaches about 42° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:27
BEST TIME13:01S · 23° high
SETS17:35
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
RISES00:51
BEST TIME08:23S · 59° high
SETS15:54
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.