OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

47.58°N, 9.85°EEurope/Berlin
Nautical Twilight-8.2° (−6° to −12°)
19:06:37
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 34m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:18
Civil Dusk18:49
Nautical19:25
Full Dark20:01
Nadir01:05
Dark Ends06:09
Nautical06:44
Civil Dawn07:20
Sunrise07:52
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%
ALTITUDE20.9°
DISTANCE380,174 km
Moonrise16:53
Moonset05:40
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

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-14.1°259°Libra08:2112:5917:38Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-23.0°331°Leo01:4508:5616:04Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.313.5°103°Pisces17:4323:5106:00Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-21.9°341°Cancer00:5408:2115:47Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-2.7°242°Libra09:5914:2318:47Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-4.6°51°Taurus19:4003:2211:08Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.816.9°110°Pisces17:2123:2105:22Telescope
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
RISES16:53
BEST TIME23:09S · 45° high
SETS05:40
Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:45
BEST TIME08:56S · 57° high
SETS16:04
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:43
BEST TIME23:51S · 44° high
SETS06:00
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:21
BEST TIME12:59S · 24° high
SETS17:38
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
RISES00:54
BEST TIME08:21S · 60° high
SETS15:47
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

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.