OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

34.29°N, 48.82°EAsia/Tehran
Deep Astronomical Night-42.3° (< −18°)
20:55:45
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 12h 56m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:31
Civil Dusk17:56
Nautical18:26
Full Dark18:55
Nadir23:59
Dark Ends05:03
Nautical05:32
Civil Dawn06:01
Sunrise06:27
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%
ALTITUDE54.0°
DISTANCE380,102 km
Moonrise15:46
Moonset04:20
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX75% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
66/100
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 -4.3-47.3°281°Libra06:3711:5417:04Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-38.4°21°Leo01:0507:4714:33Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.348.2°136°Pisces16:4022:4604:51Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-32.2°29°Cancer00:2107:1414:09Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-31.2°265°Libra08:1213:1718:19Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.619.1°77°Taurus19:1402:1709:23Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.850.5°147°Pisces16:1522:1604:17Telescope
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
RISES15:46
BEST TIME21:58S · 57° high
SETS04:20
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:05
BEST TIME07:47S · 70° high
SETS14:33
Reaches about 70° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:40
BEST TIME22:46S · 57° high
SETS04:51
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES06:37
BEST TIME11:54S · 38° high
SETS17:04
Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:21
BEST TIME07:14S · 74° high
SETS14:09
Reaches about 74° 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.