OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

9.55°N, 78.59°EAsia/Kolkata

Deep Astronomical Night-87.4° (< −18°)

00:05:58

Sat, Oct 24, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 47m of true darkness · 12h 9m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:55

Civil Dusk18:16

Nautical18:41

Full Dark19:06

Nadir23:59

Dark Ends04:53

Nautical05:18

Civil Dawn05:43

Sunrise06:04

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE57.3°

DISTANCE379,840 km

Moonrise15:45

Moonset04:09

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX78% · 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	-80.9°	159°	Libra	06:01	11:49	17:44	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-21.7°	70°	Leo	01:37	07:48	14:03	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	68.8°	249°	Pisces	16:45	22:47	04:49	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-12.8°	69°	Cancer	01:01	07:15	13:31	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-69.2°	234°	Libra	07:28	13:19	19:05	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Optimal Visibility	5.6	56.0°	66°	Taurus	20:02	02:18	08:34	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	61.2°	251°	Pisces	16:16	22:17	04:18	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

RISES15:45

BEST TIME21:56S · 82° high

SETS04:09

Reaches about 82° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:37

BEST TIME07:48N · 85° high

SETS14:03

Reaches about 85° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:45

BEST TIME22:47S · 82° high

SETS04:49

Reaches about 82° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES06:01

BEST TIME11:49S · 63° high

SETS17:44

Reaches about 63° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:01

BEST TIME07:15N · 82° high

SETS13:31

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.