OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

46.98°N, 23.67°EEurope/Bucharest
Deep Astronomical Night-37.4° (< −18°)
22:05:56
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 32m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:24
Civil Dusk18:55
Nautical19:30
Full Dark20:05
Nadir01:10
Dark Ends06:14
Nautical06:49
Civil Dawn07:24
Sunrise07:55
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%
ALTITUDE42.4°
DISTANCE379,728 km
Moonrise16:58
Moonset05:42
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX63% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
70/100
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 -4.3-43.4°294°Libra08:1613:0417:45Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-26.4°18°Leo01:5108:5816:08Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.338.5°144°Pisces17:4823:5606:04Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-20.8°26°Cancer01:0008:2415:50Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-31.4°273°Libra09:5814:2818:54Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.621.4°82°Taurus19:4803:2711:11Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.839.4°153°Pisces17:2623:2605:27Telescope
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
RISES16:58
BEST TIME23:12S · 45° high
SETS05:42
Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:51
BEST TIME08:58S · 57° high
SETS16:08
Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:48
BEST TIME23:56S · 44° high
SETS06:04
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:16
BEST TIME13:04S · 25° high
SETS17:45
Reaches about 25° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:00
BEST TIME08:24S · 61° high
SETS15:50
Reaches about 61° 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.