OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

51.93°N, 8.61°WEurope/Dublin

Civil Twilight-1.4° (0° to −6°)

18:32:07

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 5m of true darkness · 13h 51m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:23

Civil Dusk18:58

Nautical19:37

Full Dark20:16

Nadir01:19

Dark Ends06:21

Nautical07:00

Civil Dawn07:40

Sunrise08:14

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE12.1°

DISTANCE380,079 km

Moonrise17:07

Moonset06:02

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX19% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

50/100

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	-7.6°	251°	Libra	08:48	13:13	17:38	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-14.9°	321°	Leo	01:47	09:10	16:29	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Rising / Setting	0.3	5.3°	94°	Pisces	17:55	00:05	06:15	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-14.7°	330°	Cancer	00:52	08:35	16:16	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	1.3°	233°	Libra	10:30	14:37	18:43	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-7.2°	40°	Taurus	19:36	03:36	11:40	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Rising / Setting	7.8	8.3°	101°	Pisces	17:34	23:35	05:36	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

RISES17:07

BEST TIME23:25S · 41° high

SETS06:02

Reaches about 41° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:47

BEST TIME09:10S · 53° high

SETS16:29

Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · Good height

RISES17:55

BEST TIME00:05S · 40° high

SETS06:15

Reaches about 40° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky

RISES08:48

BEST TIME13:13S · 20° high

SETS17:38

Only reaches about 20° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:52

BEST TIME08:35S · 56° high

SETS16:16

Reaches about 56° 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.