OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

39.22°N, 44.75°EAsia/Tehran
Deep Astronomical Night-49.8° (< −18°)
22:05:15
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 8m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:41
Civil Dusk18:08
Nautical18:39
Full Dark19:10
Nadir00:15
Dark Ends05:20
Nautical05:51
Civil Dawn06:22
Sunrise06:49
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%
ALTITUDE52.3°
DISTANCE379,843 km
Moonrise16:03
Moonset04:39
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX73% · 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 -4.3-55.7°300°Libra07:0312:1017:10Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-29.1°34°Leo01:1308:0414:57Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.350.0°157°Pisces16:5523:0205:08Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-22.0°40°Cancer00:2607:3014:36Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-41.9°277°Libra08:4013:3418:23Binoculars
Uranus♅ Optimal Visibility 5.630.4°87°Taurus19:1802:3309:48Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.849.9°169°Pisces16:3222:3204:33Telescope
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
RISES16:03
BEST TIME22:15S · 52° high
SETS04:39
Reaches about 52° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:13
BEST TIME08:04S · 65° high
SETS14:57
Reaches about 65° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:55
BEST TIME23:02S · 52° high
SETS05:08
Reaches about 52° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES07:03
BEST TIME12:10S · 33° high
SETS17:10
Reaches about 33° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:26
BEST TIME07:30S · 69° high
SETS14:36
Reaches about 69° 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.