OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

53.21°N, 23.34°EEurope/Warsaw
Deep Astronomical Night-34.5° (< −18°)
21:09:01
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 4m of true darkness · 13h 56m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:13
Civil Dusk17:49
Nautical18:29
Full Dark19:09
Nadir00:11
Dark Ends05:13
Nautical05:53
Civil Dawn06:33
Sunrise07:09
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 Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE36.7°
DISTANCE379,717 km
Moonrise15:58
Moonset04:48
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX56% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
72/100
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 -4.3-40.9°299°Libra07:3812:0516:25Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-20.3°18°Leo00:3607:5915:26Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.333.5°147°Pisces16:4722:5705:08Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-15.0°25°Cancer23:4007:2615:14Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-31.2°277°Libra09:2813:2917:30Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.622.5°85°Taurus18:2202:2910:39Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.833.9°156°Pisces16:2722:2804:28Telescope
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
RISES15:58
BEST TIME22:13S · 39° high
SETS04:48
Reaches about 39° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:36
BEST TIME07:59S · 51° high
SETS15:26
Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES16:47
BEST TIME22:57S · 38° high
SETS05:08
Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES07:38
BEST TIME12:05S · 19° high
SETS16:25
Only reaches about 19° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES23:40
BEST TIME07:26S · 55° high
SETS15:14
Reaches about 55° 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.