OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

27.54°N, 85.86°EAsia/Kathmandu
Deep Astronomical Night-55.7° (< −18°)
21:37:23
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 5m of true darkness · 12h 41m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:25
Civil Dusk17:49
Nautical18:16
Full Dark18:43
Nadir23:46
Dark Ends04:48
Nautical05:15
Civil Dawn05:42
Sunrise06:06
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 Capella Rigel Betelgeuse Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE63.4°
DISTANCE380,453 km
Moonrise15:30
Moonset03:58
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX82% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
63/100
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♀ Below Horizon -4.3-60.2°282°Libra06:1311:4117:03Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-38.5°39°Leo01:0207:3514:10Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.360.6°150°Pisces16:2922:3304:37Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-30.6°44°Cancer00:2007:0113:44Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-42.5°266°Libra07:4513:0518:21Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.629.3°80°Taurus19:1602:0408:52Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.861.4°166°Pisces16:0322:0304:04Telescope
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
RISES15:30
BEST TIME21:41S · 63° high
SETS03:58
Reaches about 63° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:02
BEST TIME07:35S · 77° high
SETS14:10
Reaches about 77° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:29
BEST TIME22:33S · 64° high
SETS04:37
Reaches about 64° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES06:13
BEST TIME11:41S · 44° high
SETS17:03
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:20
BEST TIME07:01S · 80° high
SETS13:44
Reaches about 80° 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.