OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

20.33°N, 102.59°WAmerica/Mexico_City
Daylight+53.1°
11:19:28
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 0m of true darkness · 12h 28m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:20
Civil Dusk18:43
Nautical19:09
Full Dark19:34
Nadir00:34
Dark Ends05:34
Nautical06:00
Civil Dawn06:26
Sunrise06:48
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 Spica Antares Venus (-4.3) Jupiter (-2.0) Mars (1.0) Mercury (0.4)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE-65.3°
DISTANCE380,126 km
Moonrise16:37
Moonset04:19
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 -4.348.2°155°Libra06:5412:2718:01Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Optimal Visibility -2.048.1°269°Leo02:0108:2514:48Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-68.1°358°Pisces17:1623:2405:27Naked Eye
Mars♂ Optimal Visibility 1.040.9°276°Cancer01:2107:5114:20Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Optimal Visibility 0.434.3°136°Libra08:2213:5219:21Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-22.8°305°Taurus20:1702:5509:29Binoculars
Neptune♆ Below Horizon 7.8-68.8°19°Pisces16:4922:5004:55Telescope
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
RISES16:37
BEST TIME22:53S · 74° high
SETS04:19
Reaches about 74° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:01
BEST TIME08:25S · 84° high
SETS14:48
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
RISES17:16
BEST TIME23:24S · 71° high
SETS05:27
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
RISES06:54
BEST TIME12:27S · 52° high
SETS18:01
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
RISES01:21
BEST TIME07:51S · 88° high
SETS14:20
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.