OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

54.36°N, 13.48°EEurope/Berlin
Civil Twilight-4.0° (0° to −6°)
18:17:03
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 2m of true darkness · 14h 2m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:50
Civil Dusk18:26
Nautical19:08
Full Dark19:49
Nadir00:50
Dark Ends05:51
Nautical06:33
Civil Dawn07:14
Sunrise07:51
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%
ALTITUDE13.4°
DISTANCE380,360 km
Moonrise16:38
Moonset05:31
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX21% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
49/100
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 -4.3-10.2°254°Libra08:3012:4517:00Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-14.2°324°Leo01:1108:4216:09Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.36.9°97°Pisces17:2623:3705:47Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-13.5°333°Cancer00:1408:0715:58Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-1.5°236°Libra10:1314:0818:04Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-4.1°43°Taurus18:5503:0811:25Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.89.7°104°Pisces17:0623:0705:08Telescope
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
RISES16:38
BEST TIME22:54S · 38° high
SETS05:31
Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:11
BEST TIME08:42S · 50° high
SETS16:09
Reaches about 50° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:26
BEST TIME23:37S · 37° high
SETS05:47
Reaches about 37° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:30
BEST TIME12:45S · 18° high
SETS17:00
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
RISES00:14
BEST TIME08:07S · 54° high
SETS15:58
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.