OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

34.90°N, 49.15°EAsia/Tehran
Deep Astronomical Night-54.3° (< −18°)
21:59:50
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 12h 58m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:29
Civil Dusk17:54
Nautical18:24
Full Dark18:53
Nadir23:57
Dark Ends05:02
Nautical05:31
Civil Dawn06:00
Sunrise06:26
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 Rigel Betelgeuse Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE56.7°
DISTANCE379,863 km
Moonrise15:45
Moonset04:19
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

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-60.0°297°Libra06:3711:5217:02Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-31.2°38°Leo01:0307:4614:33Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.354.9°160°Pisces16:3922:4404:50Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-23.6°44°Cancer00:1807:1314:09Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-44.8°275°Libra08:1213:1618:17Binoculars
Uranus♅ Optimal Visibility 5.632.5°86°Taurus19:1202:1609:20Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.854.5°173°Pisces16:1422:1504:15Telescope
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 TIME21:57S · 57° high
SETS04:19
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:03
BEST TIME07:46S · 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
RISES16:39
BEST TIME22:44S · 57° high
SETS04:50
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 TIME11:52S · 37° high
SETS17:02
Reaches about 37° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:18
BEST TIME07:13S · 73° high
SETS14:09
Reaches about 73° 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.