OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

14.07°N, 5.96°EAfrica/Niamey

Deep Astronomical Night-18.7° (< −18°)

19:29:01

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 53m of true darkness · 12h 17m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:12

Civil Dusk18:33

Nautical18:58

Full Dark19:23

Nadir00:20

Dark Ends05:16

Nautical05:42

Civil Dawn06:07

Sunrise06:28

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE45.4°

DISTANCE379,866 km

Moonrise16:13

Moonset04:41

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX66% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

69/100

Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%

HUMIDITY50%

VISIBILITY18 km

DEW POINT10.8°C

PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

All times calibrated to Africa/Niamey

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-21.5°	256°	Libra	06:26	12:15	17:57	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-59.5°	340°	Leo	01:52	08:12	14:28	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	34.5°	98°	Pisces	17:04	23:07	05:09	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-57.8°	357°	Cancer	01:15	07:37	13:57	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-2.3°	249°	Libra	07:59	13:38	19:18	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-10.2°	65°	Taurus	20:14	02:38	09:05	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	41.1°	103°	Pisces	16:36	22:37	04:38	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

RISES16:13

BEST TIME22:25S · 79° high

SETS04:41

Reaches about 79° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:52

BEST TIME08:12N · 90° high

SETS14:28

Reaches about 90° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES17:04

BEST TIME23:07S · 77° high

SETS05:09

Reaches about 77° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES06:26

BEST TIME12:15S · 58° high

SETS17:57

Reaches about 58° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:15

BEST TIME07:37N · 86° high

SETS13:57

Reaches about 86° 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.