OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

19.96°N, 101.23°WAmerica/Mexico_City
Daylight+56.8°
13:10:29
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 59m of true darkness · 12h 27m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:15
Civil Dusk18:37
Nautical19:03
Full Dark19:29
Nadir00:29
Dark Ends05:28
Nautical05:54
Civil Dawn06:20
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 Arcturus Altair Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Jupiter (-2.0) Mars (1.0) Mercury (0.4)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE-45.2°
DISTANCE379,711 km
Moonrise16:32
Moonset04:13
HorizonBelow
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX0% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
42/100
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♀ Optimal Visibility -4.350.2°198°Libra06:4812:2117:56Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Visible Low -2.020.8°278°Leo01:5608:1914:42Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-54.6°56°Pisces17:1123:1405:22Naked Eye
Mars♂ Visible Low 1.013.9°284°Cancer01:1607:4514:14Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Optimal Visibility 0.448.2°167°Libra08:1613:4619:16Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-42.2°328°Taurus20:1202:4909:23Binoculars
Neptune♆ Below Horizon 7.8-49.4°65°Pisces16:4422:4504:49Telescope
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
RISES16:32
BEST TIME22:48S · 75° high
SETS04:13
Reaches about 75° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:56
BEST TIME08:19S · 84° high
SETS14:42
Reaches about 84° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES17:11
BEST TIME23:14S · 71° high
SETS05:22
Reaches about 71° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES06:48
BEST TIME12:21S · 52° high
SETS17:56
Reaches about 52° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:16
BEST TIME07:45S · 88° high
SETS14:14
Reaches about 88° 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.