OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

17.50°S, 24.27°EAfrica/Windhoek

Nautical Twilight-7.9° (−6° to −12°)

18:58:40

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM8h 53m of true darkness · 11h 23m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:25

Civil Dusk18:47

Nautical19:13

Full Dark19:40

Nadir00:07

Dark Ends04:33

Nautical05:00

Civil Dawn05:26

Sunrise05:48

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE39.7°

DISTANCE380,204 km

Moonrise16:00

Moonset04:15

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX59% · 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	-7.2°	248°	Libra	05:31	12:02	18:26	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-75.4°	260°	Leo	02:12	07:59	13:42	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	28.9°	78°	Pisces	16:54	22:54	04:53	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-84.1°	275°	Cancer	01:43	07:24	13:02	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	12.2°	252°	Libra	06:53	13:25	19:55	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-25.7°	75°	Taurus	20:51	02:25	08:03	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	36.5°	77°	Pisces	16:22	22:24	04:26	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

RISES16:00

BEST TIME22:10N · 70° high

SETS04:15

Reaches about 70° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:12

BEST TIME07:59N · 58° high

SETS13:42

Reaches about 58° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:54

BEST TIME22:54N · 71° high

SETS04:53

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

RISES05:31

BEST TIME12:02S · 89° high

SETS18:26

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

RISES01:43

BEST TIME07:24N · 55° high

SETS13:02

Reaches about 55° 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.