OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

51.95°N, 15.72°EEurope/Warsaw
Deep Astronomical Night-19.4° (< −18°)
19:52:01
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 5m of true darkness · 13h 51m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:46
Civil Dusk18:21
Nautical19:00
Full Dark19:39
Nadir00:41
Dark Ends05:44
Nautical06:23
Civil Dawn07:02
Sunrise07:37
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%
ALTITUDE28.1°
DISTANCE380,004 km
Moonrise16:29
Moonset05:19
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX44% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
76/100
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 -4.3-25.5°274°Libra08:1212:3617:00Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-22.6°350°Leo01:1008:3315:52Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.322.4°119°Pisces17:1823:2805:38Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-19.6°359°Cancer00:1507:5815:39Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-14.7°255°Libra09:5314:0018:06Binoculars
Uranus♅ Rising / Setting 5.66.6°64°Taurus18:5802:5911:04Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.824.7°127°Pisces16:5722:5804:59Telescope
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
RISES16:29
BEST TIME22:45S · 40° high
SETS05:19
Reaches about 40° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:10
BEST TIME08:33S · 53° high
SETS15:52
Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:18
BEST TIME23:28S · 40° high
SETS05:38
Reaches about 40° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:12
BEST TIME12:36S · 20° high
SETS17:00
Only reaches about 20° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:15
BEST TIME07:58S · 56° high
SETS15:39
Reaches about 56° 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.