OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

44.36°N, 22.72°EEurope/Bucharest
Deep Astronomical Night-37.6° (< −18°)
22:03:50
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 23m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:32
Civil Dusk19:01
Nautical19:35
Full Dark20:09
Nadir01:13
Dark Ends06:18
Nautical06:51
Civil Dawn07:25
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%
ALTITUDE44.4°
DISTANCE379,736 km
Moonrise17:02
Moonset05:44
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX65% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
69/100
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 -4.3-43.5°290°Libra08:1313:0817:56Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-29.2°17°Leo02:0109:0116:05Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.339.9°141°Pisces17:5200:0006:07Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-23.6°25°Cancer01:1208:2815:47Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-30.4°270°Libra09:5314:3219:07Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.620.0°80°Taurus20:0103:3111:06Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.841.3°150°Pisces17:2923:3005:31Telescope
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
RISES17:02
BEST TIME23:16S · 48° high
SETS05:44
Reaches about 48° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:01
BEST TIME09:01S · 60° high
SETS16:05
Reaches about 60° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES17:52
BEST TIME00:00S · 47° high
SETS06:07
Reaches about 47° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:13
BEST TIME13:08S · 28° high
SETS17:56
Reaches about 28° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:12
BEST TIME08:28S · 64° high
SETS15:47
Reaches about 64° 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.