OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

45.37°N, 9.21°EEurope/Rome
Nautical Twilight-8.5° (−6° to −12°)
19:12:38
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 27m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:24
Civil Dusk18:54
Nautical19:29
Full Dark20:03
Nadir01:07
Dark Ends06:12
Nautical06:46
Civil Dawn07:20
Sunrise07:51
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 Arcturus Capella Altair Antares Deneb Saturn (0.3) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE22.3°
DISTANCE380,151 km
Moonrise16:56
Moonset05:41
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX35% · Moderate Lunar Glow

Milky Way contrast is softened. Bright open clusters and double stars are optimal.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
60/100
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 -4.3-14.2°259°Libra08:1713:0217:47Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-25.2°332°Leo01:5308:5916:02Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.314.6°103°Pisces17:4623:5406:02Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-24.2°341°Cancer01:0308:2415:43Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-2.2°243°Libra09:5414:2518:57Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-5.6°52°Taurus19:5103:2511:03Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.818.3°110°Pisces17:2323:2405:25Telescope
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
RISES16:56
BEST TIME23:12S · 47° high
SETS05:41
Reaches about 47° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:53
BEST TIME08:59S · 59° high
SETS16:02
Reaches about 59° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES17:46
BEST TIME23:54S · 46° high
SETS06:02
Reaches about 46° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:17
BEST TIME13:02S · 27° high
SETS17:47
Reaches about 27° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:03
BEST TIME08:24S · 63° high
SETS15:43
Reaches about 63° 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.