OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

18.06°S, 13.84°EAfrica/Windhoek

Nautical Twilight-10.7° (−6° to −12°)

19:53:07

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM8h 52m of true darkness · 11h 22m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:07

Civil Dusk19:30

Nautical19:56

Full Dark20:22

Nadir00:48

Dark Ends05:14

Nautical05:41

Civil Dawn06:07

Sunrise06:29

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE41.9°

DISTANCE380,000 km

Moonrise16:43

Moonset04:58

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX62% · Heavy Lunar Wash

Bright moonlight washes out deep sky targets. Focus on lunar craters and bright planets.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

50/100

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	-9.9°	247°	Libra	06:12	12:43	19:08	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-78.3°	253°	Leo	02:54	08:40	14:23	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	31.8°	77°	Pisces	17:36	23:35	05:35	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-87.1°	267°	Cancer	02:26	08:05	13:43	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	9.5°	251°	Libra	07:33	14:07	20:37	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-22.9°	74°	Taurus	21:34	03:06	08:43	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	39.4°	75°	Pisces	17:04	23:06	05:07	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

RISES16:43

BEST TIME22:53N · 69° high

SETS04:58

Reaches about 69° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:54

BEST TIME08:40N · 58° high

SETS14:23

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

RISES17:36

BEST TIME23:35N · 71° high

SETS05:35

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

RISES06:12

BEST TIME12:43S · 90° high

SETS19:08

Reaches about 90° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:26

BEST TIME08:05N · 54° high

SETS13:43

Reaches about 54° 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.