OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

53.51°N, 13.99°EEurope/Berlin
Civil Twilight-4.9° (0° to −6°)
18:22:54
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 3m of true darkness · 13h 58m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:50
Civil Dusk18:25
Nautical19:06
Full Dark19:46
Nadir00:48
Dark Ends05:50
Nautical06:30
Civil Dawn07:11
Sunrise07:47
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%
ALTITUDE14.8°
DISTANCE380,338 km
Moonrise16:36
Moonset05:28
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 -4.3-11.1°255°Libra08:2412:4317:01Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-15.6°326°Leo01:1208:4016:04Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.38.2°99°Pisces17:2423:3505:45Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-14.8°335°Cancer00:1608:0515:52Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-2.0°237°Libra10:0714:0618:06Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-3.9°45°Taurus18:5803:0611:18Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.811.0°106°Pisces17:0423:0505:06Telescope
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
RISES16:36
BEST TIME22:52S · 38° high
SETS05:28
Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:12
BEST TIME08:40S · 51° high
SETS16:04
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
RISES17:24
BEST TIME23:35S · 38° high
SETS05:45
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
RISES08:24
BEST TIME12:43S · 18° high
SETS17:01
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
RISES00:16
BEST TIME08:05S · 55° high
SETS15:52
Reaches about 55° 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.