OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

18.23°N, 75.69°EAsia/Kolkata

Deep Astronomical Night-47.1° (< −18°)

21:17:07

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 57m of true darkness · 12h 24m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:59

Civil Dusk18:21

Nautical18:47

Full Dark19:12

Nadir00:11

Dark Ends05:10

Nautical05:35

Civil Dawn06:01

Sunrise06:23

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE68.9°

DISTANCE380,472 km

Moonrise15:57

Moonset04:23

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX86% · Heavy Lunar Wash

Bright moonlight washes out deep sky targets. Focus on lunar craters and bright planets.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

62/100

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

All times calibrated to Asia/Kolkata

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-49.9°	264°	Libra	06:24	12:07	17:43	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-52.2°	31°	Leo	01:39	08:00	14:24	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	59.8°	121°	Pisces	16:55	22:59	05:02	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-44.6°	38°	Cancer	01:00	07:27	13:55	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-30.4°	256°	Libra	07:54	13:30	19:03	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Visible Low	5.6	16.8°	73°	Taurus	19:59	02:30	09:00	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	64.2°	134°	Pisces	16:28	22:29	04:30	Telescope

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

RISES15:57

BEST TIME22:08S · 73° high

SETS04:23

Reaches about 73° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:39

BEST TIME08:00S · 86° high

SETS14:24

Reaches about 86° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:55

BEST TIME22:59S · 73° high

SETS05:02

Reaches about 73° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES06:24

BEST TIME12:07S · 54° high

SETS17:43

Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:00

BEST TIME07:27S · 90° high

SETS13:55

Reaches about 90° 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

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

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.