OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

20.77°N, 77.23°EAsia/Kolkata

Deep Astronomical Night-79.6° (< −18°)

23:45:07

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 0m of true darkness · 12h 28m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:51

Civil Dusk18:13

Nautical18:39

Full Dark19:05

Nadir00:05

Dark Ends05:05

Nautical05:31

Civil Dawn05:57

Sunrise06:19

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE58.7°

DISTANCE379,918 km

Moonrise15:51

Moonset04:17

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX79% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

64/100

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	-85.8°	312°	Libra	06:22	12:01	17:33	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-23.1°	63°	Leo	01:30	07:54	14:21	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	66.8°	215°	Pisces	16:49	22:52	04:56	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-14.2°	64°	Cancer	00:50	07:20	13:52	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-67.0°	265°	Libra	07:52	13:24	18:52	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Optimal Visibility	5.6	52.9°	82°	Taurus	19:49	02:24	08:59	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	60.8°	226°	Pisces	16:22	22:23	04:23	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 TIME22:01S · 71° high

SETS04:17

Reaches about 71° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:30

BEST TIME07:54S · 84° high

SETS14:21

Reaches about 84° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:49

BEST TIME22:52S · 71° high

SETS04:56

Reaches about 71° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES06:22

BEST TIME12:01S · 51° high

SETS17:33

Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:50

BEST TIME07:20S · 87° high

SETS13:52

Reaches about 87° 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.