OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

16.65°N, 121.51°EAsia/Manila
Deep Astronomical Night-80.3° (< −18°)
00:12:11
Sat, Oct 24, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 56m of true darkness · 12h 21m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:27
Civil Dusk17:49
Nautical18:15
Full Dark18:40
Nadir23:38
Dark Ends04:36
Nautical05:01
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
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Sirius Capella Rigel Betelgeuse Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE47.6°
DISTANCE380,378 km
Moonrise15:19
Moonset03:42
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX68% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
68/100
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 -4.3-80.1°99°Libra05:4911:2817:13Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-12.9°70°Leo01:0807:2713:50Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.359.8°242°Pisces16:2322:2604:29Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-3.9°70°Cancer00:2906:5313:20Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-78.6°246°Libra07:1812:5718:33Binoculars
Uranus♅ Optimal Visibility 5.664.7°76°Taurus19:2901:5708:25Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.852.4°246°Pisces15:5521:5603:57Telescope
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
RISES15:19
BEST TIME21:29S · 74° high
SETS03:42
Reaches about 74° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:08
BEST TIME07:27S · 88° high
SETS13:50
Reaches about 88° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES16:23
BEST TIME22:26S · 75° high
SETS04:29
Reaches about 75° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES05:49
BEST TIME11:28S · 56° high
SETS17:13
Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:29
BEST TIME06:53N · 89° high
SETS13:20
Reaches about 89° 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.