OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

36.05°N, 49.81°EAsia/Tehran
Deep Astronomical Night-47.6° (< −18°)
21:22:36
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 0m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:25
Civil Dusk17:51
Nautical18:21
Full Dark18:50
Nadir23:55
Dark Ends04:59
Nautical05:29
Civil Dawn05:59
Sunrise06:25
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE54.6°
DISTANCE380,002 km
Moonrise15:42
Moonset04:16
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX76% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
65/100
Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-53.0°290°Libra06:3611:5016:57Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-34.2°29°Leo00:5807:4314:32Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.350.7°147°Pisces16:3622:4204:48Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-27.3°36°Cancer00:1307:1014:09Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-37.6°270°Libra08:1213:1318:11Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.625.7°82°Taurus19:0602:1309:24Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.851.8°160°Pisces16:1122:1204:13Telescope
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
RISES15:42
BEST TIME21:54S · 56° high
SETS04:16
Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:58
BEST TIME07:43S · 68° high
SETS14:32
Reaches about 68° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:36
BEST TIME22:42S · 55° high
SETS04:48
Reaches about 55° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES06:36
BEST TIME11:50S · 36° high
SETS16:57
Reaches about 36° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:13
BEST TIME07:10S · 72° high
SETS14:09
Reaches about 72° 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

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.