OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

45.83°N, 25.13°EEurope/Bucharest
Deep Astronomical Night-33.9° (< −18°)
21:35:09
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 28m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:20
Civil Dusk18:50
Nautical19:25
Full Dark19:59
Nadir01:04
Dark Ends06:08
Nautical06:42
Civil Dawn07:17
Sunrise07:48
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE41.5°
DISTANCE379,843 km
Moonrise16:52
Moonset05:35
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX61% · 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 -4.3-39.8°287°Libra08:0712:5817:42Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-28.6°11°Leo01:4808:5215:59Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.336.6°136°Pisces17:4223:5005:58Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-23.6°20°Cancer00:5808:1915:41Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-27.1°268°Libra09:5214:2218:52Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.617.0°77°Taurus19:4603:2111:01Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.838.2°145°Pisces17:2023:2005:21Telescope
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
RISES16:52
BEST TIME23:06S · 46° high
SETS05:35
Reaches about 46° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:48
BEST TIME08:52S · 59° high
SETS15:59
Reaches about 59° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES17:42
BEST TIME23:50S · 46° high
SETS05:58
Reaches about 46° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:07
BEST TIME12:58S · 26° high
SETS17:42
Reaches about 26° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:58
BEST TIME08:19S · 62° high
SETS15:41
Reaches about 62° 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.