OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

52.99°N, 6.98°WEurope/Dublin

Civil Twilight-3.6° (0° to −6°)

18:38:27

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 4m of true darkness · 13h 56m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:14

Civil Dusk18:50

Nautical19:30

Full Dark20:10

Nadir01:12

Dark Ends06:14

Nautical06:54

Civil Dawn07:34

Sunrise08:10

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE13.7°

DISTANCE380,055 km

Moonrise17:00

Moonset05:56

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX22% · Minimal Lunar Glare

Sky background remains dark; faint nebulae and distant galaxies are distinct.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

49/100

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

All times calibrated to Europe/Dublin

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-9.8°	254°	Libra	08:46	13:06	17:27	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-15.3°	324°	Leo	01:37	09:03	16:26	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Rising / Setting	0.3	7.1°	97°	Pisces	17:48	23:58	06:08	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-14.7°	333°	Cancer	00:42	08:29	16:14	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-0.6°	236°	Libra	10:28	14:30	18:32	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-5.1°	43°	Taurus	19:24	03:29	11:39	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Rising / Setting	7.8	10.0°	104°	Pisces	17:28	23:29	05:29	Telescope

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 · Good height

RISES17:00

BEST TIME23:19S · 39° high

SETS05:56

Reaches about 39° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:37

BEST TIME09:03S · 51° high

SETS16:26

Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · Good height

RISES17:48

BEST TIME23:58S · 38° high

SETS06:08

Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky

RISES08:46

BEST TIME13:06S · 19° high

SETS17:27

Only reaches about 19° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:42

BEST TIME08:29S · 55° high

SETS16:14

Reaches about 55° 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

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

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.