OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

60.79°N, 11.07°EEurope/Oslo
Deep Astronomical Night-18.9° (< −18°)
20:16:21
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 51m of true darkness · 14h 38m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:41
Civil Dusk18:26
Nautical19:15
Full Dark20:04
Nadir01:00
Dark Ends05:56
Nautical06:45
Civil Dawn07:35
Sunrise08:20
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 Arcturus Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE22.8°
DISTANCE379,913 km
Moonrise16:46
Moonset05:48
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX36% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
79/100
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

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-25.3°279°Libra09:1312:5416:37Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-14.0°352°Leo00:5408:5116:45Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.318.5°123°Pisces17:3323:4606:00Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-10.7°0°Cancer23:4808:1616:43Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-17.5°259°Libra11:0514:1817:31Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.611.0°66°Taurus18:1903:1712:20Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.819.7°131°Pisces17:1623:1705:17Telescope
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 · Good height
RISES16:46
BEST TIME23:04S · 31° high
SETS05:48
Reaches about 31° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · Good height
RISES00:54
BEST TIME08:51S · 44° high
SETS16:45
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:33
BEST TIME23:46S · 31° high
SETS06:00
Reaches about 31° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES09:13
BEST TIME12:54S · 11° high
SETS16:37
Only reaches about 11° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES23:48
BEST TIME08:16S · 47° high
SETS16:43
Reaches about 47° 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.