OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

46.67°N, 24.79°EEurope/Bucharest
Deep Astronomical Night-35.7° (< −18°)
21:49:48
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 13h 31m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset18:20
Civil Dusk18:51
Nautical19:26
Full Dark20:01
Nadir01:05
Dark Ends06:09
Nautical06:44
Civil Dawn07:19
Sunrise07:50
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%
ALTITUDE41.9°
DISTANCE379,788 km
Moonrise16:53
Moonset05:37
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX62% · 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 -4.3-41.7°291°Libra08:1113:0017:41Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-27.3°15°Leo01:4808:5316:02Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.337.5°140°Pisces17:4323:5206:00Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-21.9°23°Cancer00:5708:2015:45Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-29.4°270°Libra09:5614:2318:51Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.619.4°80°Taurus19:4403:2311:05Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.838.8°150°Pisces17:2123:2205:22Telescope
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
RISES16:53
BEST TIME23:08S · 45° high
SETS05:37
Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:48
BEST TIME08:53S · 58° high
SETS16:02
Reaches about 58° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:43
BEST TIME23:52S · 45° high
SETS06:00
Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:11
BEST TIME13:00S · 25° high
SETS17:41
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
RISES00:57
BEST TIME08:20S · 61° high
SETS15:45
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.