OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

38.43°N, 22.42°EEurope/Athens
Deep Astronomical Night-20.9° (< −18°)
20:27:25
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 7m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:41
Civil Dusk19:08
Nautical19:39
Full Dark20:10
Nadir01:14
Dark Ends06:19
Nautical06:50
Civil Dawn07:21
Sunrise07:48
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 Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE36.7°
DISTANCE380,096 km
Moonrise17:04
Moonset05:42
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX55% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
73/100
Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-26.1°267°Libra08:0013:0918:11Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-36.1°349°Leo02:1409:0615:55Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.328.7°113°Pisces17:5500:0106:07Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-33.3°359°Cancer01:2708:3115:33Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-11.3°253°Libra09:4114:3319:25Binoculars
Uranus♅ Rising / Setting 5.61.1°63°Taurus20:1903:3210:49Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.832.6°121°Pisces17:3123:3105:32Telescope
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 · High in the sky
RISES17:04
BEST TIME23:17S · 54° high
SETS05:42
Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:14
BEST TIME09:06S · 66° high
SETS15:55
Reaches about 66° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES17:55
BEST TIME00:01S · 53° high
SETS06:07
Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:00
BEST TIME13:09S · 34° high
SETS18:11
Reaches about 34° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:27
BEST TIME08:31S · 70° high
SETS15:33
Reaches about 70° 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.