OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

34.32°N, 48.23°EAsia/Tehran
Deep Astronomical Night-54.0° (< −18°)
21:59:58
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
Sunset17:33
Civil Dusk17:59
Nautical18:28
Full Dark18:57
Nadir00:01
Dark Ends05:05
Nautical05:34
Civil Dawn06:04
Sunrise06:29
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%
ALTITUDE57.3°
DISTANCE379,862 km
Moonrise15:49
Moonset04:22
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 -4.3-59.6°295°Libra06:3911:5617:06Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-32.1°38°Leo01:0707:5014:35Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.355.2°158°Pisces16:4322:4804:54Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-24.6°43°Cancer00:2307:1614:12Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-44.1°274°Libra08:1413:2018:21Binoculars
Uranus♅ Optimal Visibility 5.631.8°85°Taurus19:1702:1909:22Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.855.0°172°Pisces16:1822:1804:19Telescope
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
RISES15:49
BEST TIME22:01S · 57° high
SETS04:22
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:07
BEST TIME07:50S · 70° high
SETS14:35
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
RISES16:43
BEST TIME22:48S · 57° high
SETS04:54
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
RISES06:39
BEST TIME11:56S · 38° high
SETS17:06
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
RISES00:23
BEST TIME07:16S · 74° high
SETS14:12
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.