OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

38.08°N, 46.29°EAsia/Tehran
Deep Astronomical Night-46.2° (< −18°)
21:33:59
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 5m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:36
Civil Dusk18:03
Nautical18:34
Full Dark19:04
Nadir00:09
Dark Ends05:13
Nautical05:44
Civil Dawn06:15
Sunrise06:42
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%
ALTITUDE52.5°
DISTANCE379,959 km
Moonrise15:57
Moonset04:32
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX74% · 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 -4.3-51.8°292°Libra06:5412:0417:07Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-32.6°28°Leo01:0907:5714:49Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.348.7°148°Pisces16:5022:5605:02Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-25.9°34°Cancer00:2307:2414:27Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-37.0°272°Libra08:3113:2718:20Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.625.4°82°Taurus19:1502:2709:43Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.849.7°159°Pisces16:2522:2604:27Telescope
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
RISES15:57
BEST TIME22:09S · 54° high
SETS04:32
Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:09
BEST TIME07:57S · 66° high
SETS14:49
Reaches about 66° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:50
BEST TIME22:56S · 53° high
SETS05:02
Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES06:54
BEST TIME12:04S · 34° high
SETS17:07
Reaches about 34° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:23
BEST TIME07:24S · 70° high
SETS14:27
Reaches about 70° 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.