OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

20.08°N, 79.78°EAsia/Kolkata

Deep Astronomical Night-78.5° (< −18°)

23:23:39

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 59m of true darkness · 12h 27m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:41

Civil Dusk18:04

Nautical18:30

Full Dark18:55

Nadir23:55

Dark Ends04:54

Nautical05:20

Civil Dawn05:46

Sunrise06:08

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE61.1°

DISTANCE379,998 km

Moonrise15:40

Moonset04:06

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX81% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

63/100

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	-83.8°	289°	Libra	06:10	11:50	17:24	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-25.8°	62°	Leo	01:21	07:44	14:10	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	68.8°	210°	Pisces	16:39	22:42	04:46	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-16.9°	63°	Cancer	00:41	07:10	13:41	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-64.3°	263°	Libra	07:41	13:14	18:43	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Optimal Visibility	5.6	50.2°	81°	Taurus	19:40	02:13	08:47	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	63.2°	222°	Pisces	16:12	22:12	04:13	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

RISES15:40

BEST TIME21:51S · 71° high

SETS04:06

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

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:21

BEST TIME07:44S · 84° high

SETS14:10

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

RISES16:39

BEST TIME22:42S · 71° high

SETS04:46

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

RISES06:10

BEST TIME11:50S · 52° high

SETS17:24

Reaches about 52° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:41

BEST TIME07:10S · 88° high

SETS13:41

Reaches about 88° 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.