OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

10.09°N, 77.06°EAsia/Kolkata

Deep Astronomical Night-64.8° (< −18°)

22:24:21

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 48m of true darkness · 12h 10m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:01

Civil Dusk18:22

Nautical18:47

Full Dark19:12

Nadir00:06

Dark Ends05:00

Nautical05:24

Civil Dawn05:49

Sunrise06:10

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE79.9°

DISTANCE380,220 km

Moonrise15:51

Moonset04:15

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX91% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

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

All times calibrated to Asia/Kolkata

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-65.5°	248°	Libra	06:07	12:01	17:49	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-45.6°	57°	Leo	01:43	07:55	14:10	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	78.7°	140°	Pisces	16:51	22:53	04:55	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-36.7°	58°	Cancer	01:06	07:21	13:38	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-45.2°	250°	Libra	07:35	13:25	19:11	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Optimal Visibility	5.6	31.3°	71°	Taurus	20:07	02:24	08:41	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	79.5°	181°	Pisces	16:22	22:23	04:24	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

RISES15:51

BEST TIME22:02S · 81° high

SETS04:15

Reaches about 81° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:43

BEST TIME07:55N · 86° high

SETS14:10

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

RISES16:51

BEST TIME22:53S · 81° high

SETS04:55

Reaches about 81° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES06:07

BEST TIME12:01S · 62° high

SETS17:49

Reaches about 62° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:06

BEST TIME07:21N · 82° high

SETS13:38

Reaches about 82° 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.