OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

49.10°N, 8.12°EEurope/Berlin
Nautical Twilight-6.6° (−6° to −12°)
19:02:28
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
Sunset18:22
Civil Dusk18:54
Nautical19:31
Full Dark20:08
Nadir01:12
Dark Ends06:15
Nautical06:52
Civil Dawn07:29
Sunrise08:02
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%
ALTITUDE18.6°
DISTANCE380,190 km
Moonrise17:00
Moonset05:49
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX30% · 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 -4.3-12.6°258°Libra08:3213:0617:40Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-20.7°329°Leo01:4809:0316:15Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.311.4°101°Pisces17:4923:5806:07Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-19.9°338°Cancer00:5608:2815:59Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-1.8°240°Libra10:1114:3018:48Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-5.1°48°Taurus19:4103:2911:21Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.814.7°108°Pisces17:2823:2805:29Telescope
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
RISES17:00
BEST TIME23:16S · 43° high
SETS05:49
Reaches about 43° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:48
BEST TIME09:03S · 55° high
SETS16:15
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
RISES17:49
BEST TIME23:58S · 42° high
SETS06:07
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
RISES08:32
BEST TIME13:06S · 23° high
SETS17:40
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
RISES00:56
BEST TIME08:28S · 59° high
SETS15:59
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.