OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

19.57°S, 18.12°EAfrica/Windhoek

Nautical Twilight-7.6° (−6° to −12°)

19:24:11

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM8h 47m of true darkness · 11h 19m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:52

Civil Dusk19:14

Nautical19:41

Full Dark20:08

Nadir00:31

Dark Ends04:55

Nautical05:22

Civil Dawn05:48

Sunrise06:11

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE39.0°

DISTANCE380,108 km

Moonrise16:26

Moonset04:40

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX58% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

51/100

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 Africa/Windhoek

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-6.7°	248°	Libra	05:53	12:26	18:53	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-75.1°	252°	Leo	02:39	08:23	14:04	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	28.7°	77°	Pisces	17:19	23:18	05:18	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-84.1°	254°	Cancer	02:11	07:48	13:24	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	12.6°	252°	Libra	07:14	13:50	20:23	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-26.0°	76°	Taurus	21:19	02:49	08:24	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	36.2°	75°	Pisces	16:47	22:48	04:50	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 · High in the sky

RISES16:26

BEST TIME22:35N · 67° high

SETS04:40

Reaches about 67° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:39

BEST TIME08:23N · 56° high

SETS14:04

Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES17:19

BEST TIME23:18N · 69° high

SETS05:18

Reaches about 69° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES05:53

BEST TIME12:26N · 89° high

SETS18:53

Reaches about 89° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:11

BEST TIME07:48N · 53° high

SETS13:24

Reaches about 53° 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.